One Wish
by Eternal Storm
Summary: After an experiment goes wrong, 17 year old Lily Rowan finds her life thrown upside down as she's unexpectedly transformed into a Pokemon. She's now on a journey filled with new friends, new enemies, and one wish...which is to get her life back to normal. (warning: incomplete and on a break).
1. Comatose

**Chapter One: Comatose**

…... 

Lily Rowan was not one to be late.

Due to the fact that she got to sleep at three in the morning, however, she was still sleeping peacefully as the alarm clock on her nightstand blared loudly.

"Lily!" came a call from outside the teenager's bedroom door. "That's the fourth time that clock has went off...Are you even awake?" Lily's mother opened the door to find her seventeen year old daughter sprawled out on her bed, blankets thrown carelessly on the floor. She walked over to turn the alarm off and wake the girl.

"Lily, you're ten minutes late for work. Your grandfather isn't going to be happy about this."

The word 'late' suddenly reached through to the sleeping girl. Sitting up immediately, she looked at the now quiet clock.

"Oh no! Not again..." she groaned. Jumping out of bed, Lily quickly grabbed her backpack and bolted out of the room. After stopping to brush her teeth and hair and make sure she at least looked decent, she ran downstairs to where her mother was now waiting.

"Sorry Mom, no time for breakfast! See ya later cause I gotta hurry and-" Lily was cut off as her mother stepped in front of her, blocking the door.

"Now just one minute, young lady. You will not leave this house without anything to eat. And I'm worried about you. You don't seem to have any spare time anymore. Ever since your grandfather gave you that little...creature. A girl your age should be out getting a job, meeting boys, shopping...you're always so busy. Maybe you need to stay home a little more and rest!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Mom, don't worry about it. I love working at grandpa's lab! And Riolu isn't a 'creature'...He's a Pokemon, and he's my friend. I've just been doing some research on evolution for Grandpa and I had to finish it late last night, so that's why I slept in. Trust me, I'm fine," she told her worried parent while grabbing an apple from the bowl of fruit on the table.

Her mother took one last long look at her, as if trying to decide whether her daughter was telling the truth or not, then sighed. "Okay. Just be careful over there. Ever since Lucas left I've been so worried that-"

"Yeah yeah, I know. I'll be fine! Gotta go now though, so bye!"

She took a big breath of fresh air as she stepped outside, then started jogging down the oh-so-familiar route 201, to her grandfather's house and work place in Sandgem town.

Lily was seventeen. She was about average height and weight for her age, with light brown hair, currently up in a ponytail, and bright green eyes. She inherited her eye color from her father, who had passed away when she was young. Too young to remember him. Her brother, Lucas, remembered him though. Their father loved Pokemon with a passion and was a tough trainer. Lucas had followed in his father's footsteps and become a trainer, along with helping their grandfather's research while out in the Sinnoh region by finding different species of Pokemon.

Lucas had been gone for quite a while now, and Lily's mother tended to freak out if anyone mentioned a Pokemon in the house. After Lucas left, she had regretted ever letting him become a trainer, which was why Lily never became one herself. Sure, she had one Pokemon, but he wasn't used for battles. Simply a friend for her while working at the lab. A partner.

Riolu wasn't very old. He was only hatched a few months ago from an egg that her grandfather let her take care of. It was his secret from Lily's mother that whatever hatched would belong to Lily. Due to her mother's fear of all things Pokemon, however, Riolu had to stay at the lab.

"Finally!" Lily heaved, opening the door to the lab. She usually took plenty of time to make the walk from Twinleaf to Sandgem, and wasn't used to running the entire way. "Grandpa Rowan?"

"In here, Lily! Quickly!"

Lily followed his voice downstairs into a room labeled Genetic Research, which was obviously where her grandfather looked into the genetics of Pokemon. Professor Rowan was sitting at a desk with a computer on it. Walking up behind him, Lily saw pictures of DNA strands on the screen.

"What's that for?" she asked.

"This," he said, "is the DNA structure of an Eevee." He typed a code on the keyboard and another DNA strand came to appear beside the Eevee DNA. "That one is a Leafeon's DNA structure. Look closely at each of them and you will see that several parts match up."

Lily looked. Sure enough, they were quite similar. "Yeah, but isn't that to be expected? Leafeon evolves from Eevee. It's natural that their DNA would still be similar," Lily replied.

"True. But if you do this..." he typed some more, "Then you can transfer certain traits of the Leafeon to the Eevee DNA. For example, I could teach an Eevee how to use Synthesis, which is a grass type attack. Eevee is a normal type Pokemon, not able to learn any kind of grass type attack. But with this new discovery, it may be possible to teach Eevee any type of attack! We haven't been able to trace this to any other Pokemon, but that might just be how it is. Eevee are strange, the way they can change their DNA so easily to fit in with their environment." He rambled on about the different DNA structures for a few minutes before finally getting up.

"So what do we do with this information, Grandpa?"

"We are going to try and teach an Eevee how to use a basic grass attack using genetics," he answered.

"Don't we need an Eevee for that?"

Rowan smiled. "As of yesterday, we have one. Your brother has obtained one for us to use and sent it here. It's still in it's Pokeball right now."

Lily smiled, too. A real Eevee! Lucas was so lucky! They were impossibly hard to find. The only one Lily had ever seen had been in a Pokemon contest a number of years ago, and it had likely been raised in captivity at a breeding center, probably costing its owner a fortune.

The two walked to a different room, one in which different trainers Pokemon were stored inside their Pokeballs. The walls were lined with shelf upon shelf of Pokeballs, each containing different Pokemon. Lily sometimes wished that she could go out and be trainer too...but it was too late for her anyways. She enjoyed working here in the lab. And she had Riolu...who was nowhere to be seen at the moment.

"Hey, where's Riolu at?"

Professor Rowan picked up a Pokeball from one of the shelves. "Ah, here it is! I'm not sure where your little friend is though, Lily. I saw him running around this morning." Rowan released the Eevee.

"Vee!" it shouted happily. Lily instantly fell in love with the little fox-like Pokemon.

"Well aren't you a cutie," she said, picking it up from the ground.

"Follow me," the Professor instructed, obviously immune to the Pokemon's cute charm, unlike the teenage girl standing next to him.

They walked into a different room with a large machine in it, which was attached to another computer. In the center of the machine was a glass door. Walking over to the door, Rowan opened it and told Lily to place the Eevee inside. She did so, giving it a good pat before shutting the door. Rowan was already over at the computer typing away.

A hissing sound was heard as the machine started up. Looking at the Eevee inside the glass, Lily could tell the the tiny Pokemon was nervous, but not afraid. It obviously trusted humans enough to know that they weren't planning on harming it. Lucas must have spent a lot of time with it, despite only having it for a short time.

A burst of movement caught Lily's attention in the machine. A thick, white fog-like substance started to fill the tiny room inside the machine where the Eevee was.

"This should just take about ten minutes," Rowan explained. "That white substance is going to alter Eevee's genetic structure to have grass type traits, along with scanning Eevee's health consistently, testing to make sure the Eevee's DNA strands are suitable and stable enough to work with. This is a safer, faster, and more relaxing way of getting a DNA test, though it does take a little longer."

Lily nodded in understanding.

A sharp ring was heard from the next room. Rowan made his way to the video phone, Lily following closely. He walked to the video phone, and with the push of a button, a highly recognized face appeared on the screen.

"Hello Professor Oak! How can I help you?"

Lily knew of Professor Oak. He was one of the most famous Pokemon researchers in the world, and one of her grandfather's good friends.

"Rowan! Well...erm...I'm having a bit of trouble. You see, I'm in Sinnoh right now, in Sunnyshore city. I was doing some field work out on the beaches, and there seems to be a problem at the Power plant. A rather large family of Shinx, Luxio, and Luxray have seemed to made it their home...and without workers being able to run the place, the power in Sunnyshore city has gone out. The Pokemon center is running off of a generator, but who knows how long that will last. We could really used some help over here..."

Rowan nodded to the screen. "Of course, I'll be right there!" With that the screen went blank.

The Professor sighed. "I'll have to use one of Lucas' Pokemon to fly over there. The rest of this experiment will have to wait, I'm afraid. We can't interrupt the machines testing though. The Eevee has to stay in the machine until its done. Come with me and I'll give you some instructions," he said, walking to the room where Eevee was.

"Just watch the computer. If anything goes wrong, a red light will light up above the glass door on the machine and start beeping. If that happens then just tell the computer to abort experiment, and the smoke should clear up. When the green light comes on the machine then it's safe to open. Do not open it before that green light comes on."

"Got it," she replied. "And you be careful, with all of those Luxray."

"I will. But I probably won't be back for a couple of days. Can you take care of the lab while I'm-"

"Yep. Sure can."

He smiled proudly at her and gave her a quick hug before rushing off to find a Pokemon that could fly him to Sunyshore city. Then he was gone. Lily was alone. She sat down at the desk and stared at the computer screen. On the screen was a percentage bar.

Fifty-three percent remaining.

"Ri?"

Lily looked up to find where the voice had come from. "Riolu! It's about time you showed up!" she said, scooping up the little blue Pokemon in her arms.

"Ri, Riolu!" it said happily.

Five more minutes had passed. The bar hadn't raised at all. Didn't her grandpa say it would only take about ten minutes? Something didn't feel right...

"This is weird, Riolu..." she said to her Pokemon.

"Ri..." he agreed.

A beeping was heard from across the room. Lily's eyes widened. Turning around she saw that the red light that her grandfather had pointed out was flashing. Oh no, what about Eevee! She had to do something. She would never forgive herself if she hurt one of Lucas' Pokemon.

"It's okay. Stay calm. You know what to do..." she told herself, trying to not freak out.

Turning back around to the computer, she clicked the abort button to stop the experiment. An alert box popped up.

_Experiment cannot be aborted. Please wait..._

"What? No...that can't be right." Lily closed the alert box and clicked the abort button again.

_Experiment cannot be aborted. Please wait..._

She could feel her pulse speed up. Now what?

Looking back over to the machine, the red light was still flashing. Inside the glass door, Eevee was no longer visible. The smoke was too thick. She turned back around and tried to abort the experiment again. A new alert message came up.

_Experiment unsafe. Please remove experiment Pokemon immediately!_

Lily looked at the machine once again...still no green light.

"Riolu ri," her tiny companion said. He was worried now as well, for the Eevee and for his owner.

"I have to get Eevee out of there, Riolu..."

"Ri!" he argued.

"I know it's not safe, but Eevee's trapped in there!" She ran over to the glass door. "Eevee? Are you okay?" There was no response. Lily tugged on the handle of the door. It was locked. "Riolu! Come help me, quick!"

"Lu, riolu!" The little Pokemon tackled the glass door, only to be thrown back. It did no damage.

"Try force palm?" she said, not sure if he even knew how to use the attack. Riolu ran up used his attack on the door again. A tiny crack was made.

"Again, Riolu!" He repeated the attack. The crack got a tiny bit bigger. Lily was about to her freaking out point.

"C'mon budy, one more time!"

"Ri..."

Looking down at Riolu, Lily saw that he was already drained of his energy. He wasn't a trained Pokemon, after all.

She looked back at the door, then made a quick decision. Backing up for a running start, she sprinted toward the glass door and rammed it with her shoulder. She winced as pain overtook her arm. There were more cracks on the door.

Getting another running start, Lily repeated the battering on the door. As her shoulder connected with the glass, it shattered. Lily fell forward into the white smoke that contained the experimental DNA. She gasped at the pain in her arm, breathing in the white substance in the air, coughing at the unnatural feeling in her lungs.

"Eevee...?" she asked weakly. She suddenly didn't feel very well at all, and it wasn't just the pain from her shoulder.

Lily moaned as a pain shot through her body. Her spinal cord felt like it was being stretched and ripped into pieces. The bones and muscles in her arms and legs felt suddenly constricted. The pain started to dim before starting back up again. Her skin itched and prickled all over. Curling up into a ball, her thoughts were no longer on anything but the pain racing through her entire being.

Then it was gone, along with Lily's consciousness.

…...

**Disclaimer: I will state my disclaimer once and once only – I do not own Pokemon.**

**NOTE: February 5****th****, 2011 – I have started updating these chapters in addition to working on completing this story. If you're an old reader, you'll notice chapter title changes. Each chapter is a song title from my personal favorite band ever, Skillet. Look 'em up! (:**

**Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! If you did, please feel free to leave a review. If not, feel equally as free to tell me why. In addition to your feelings on this story, I would appreciate any corrections that can be made as far as typos, grammar, spelling, or whatever else you see. Also, a ****character list will be provided after each chapter of the current characters in the story, as to not make things confusing with names and species.**

**Hope to hear back from you!**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu


	2. Rebirthing

**Chapter Two: Rebirthing**

…... 

Lily moaned quietly to herself upon waking.

Opening her eyes a fraction, she saw that she was still on the ground, inside of the broken DNA machine. Glass shards were scattered around her from the door she had shattered. What was going on? Was...was she in the lab?

Suddenly her memory came rushing back to her, and there were more important things to think about that her own discomfort. Lucas' Eevee! The experiment had gone wrong! She must have passed out. Lily jumped to her feet...and fell to the ground again.

"That's strange," she said to herself.

Then she saw it. She let out a gasp, quickly turning around in place using her front two...paws? Lily let out a yelp of surprise. Wait. Yelped? What in the world was going on? Paws? A tail follwing her every move? This couldn't be happening. She could NOT be a Pokemon...It wasn't possible...was it?

"This has to be a dream..." she thought aloud. Surprisingly, a voice answered her.

"It's not a dream, silly."

Spinning back around, Lily was now looking at an Eevee. Lucas' Eevee, to be exact. But much, much larger than it had been before. Or was she smaller? And...it just spoke to her! Great. Now talking Pokemon. Lily was at a loss for words.

"Are you alright? You look a little pale..."

"Pale? How in the world can I be pale? I have fur covering every inch of my body!" she growled, then was disturbed by the fact that she actually had literally growled.

"This isn't happening...it can't be happening..." The Eevee in front of her let its ears fall to the sides of its head. Lily sighed. "Look, Eevee..." she started. "Can you help me?"

The Eevee perked back up again. "Of course!"

"How did this happen?"

"Lily?" said a new voice. Looking past the Eevee in front of her, she saw Riolu standing in awe. "You're...an Eevee?"

It was beyond strange to actually hear her Pokemon speaking plain English – er...Poketalk, she supposed. Nodding solemnly, she felt her ears droop as Lucas' Eevee had done moments before. Shuddering at the subconscious action, she perked the appendages up again.

"I have to get help. Soon. I don't know how this happened, Riolu! What if I can't talk to anyone? Or what if Grandpa can't change me back? I could be stuck like this forever! I'm human! This shouldn't be-"

"Lily!" he interrupted her rant. "Calm down!'

Taking deep breaths, Lily forced herself to calm down. "Okay." she answered. "Now what?"

"First things first," Riolu started, "We need a plan."

Lily was amazed to see Riolu acting like such a mature Pokemon when he was in fact still a baby in her eyes. Maybe Pokemon aged much faster than humans. It was very likely. They developed their thinking processes faster, along with battle skills. Maybe it was necessary to develop faster when your life depended on your skills from day to day.

"I got it!" he announced. "Let's go find your mom and explain-"

"Bad plan."

"What? Why?"

"Well," she said, "my mom isn't exactly thrilled by Pokemon. And assuming I can't speak English anymore, it would be a pointless trip."

The real Eevee had a different plan. "Then go find a trainer. When he sends out a Pokemon, tell the Pokemon what's going on. Trainers can usually get an idea of what their partners are trying to say."

"If the trainer doesn't toss a Pokeball, then yes, that's a brilliant idea," Lily muttered. She wasn't in a good mood, for obvious reasons.

"No, I think that would work. I could go out and talk. Even if the trainer throws a ball, I'm already registered under your name. They couldn't recapture me."

Lily thought it over for a moment. What other choice was there? Besides waiting in the lab for the next few days, which wouldn't help with her current anxiety problem.

"Okay. Let's go. I want to hurry and be myself again..."

Riolu jumped to his feet. "Let's go then!"

Eevee, however, paused for a moment in thought. "I'm staying here. I don't feel right leaving."

"Okay, then it's just you and me, Lily. You ready?" Riolu asked, the smile on his face reflecting exactly the opposite of what Lily was feeling. She nodded and tried to stand again...then fell on her tail. If not for the fur, her skin would be beat red from embarrassment.

"Uhm...I don't really know...how to..."

Eevee laughed lightly. "You gotta use all four paws, silly."

Trying again, Lily at least found herself standing. Walking was a entirely different story...After finally making it outside, Lily and Riolu saw that the sun only halfway visible on the horizon.

"Riolu, are you sure it's safe to be out here? What about wild Pokemon?"

"Of course it is! You're with me, right?"

"Yes..." Lily hesitated before continuing. "But you haven't really been...trained...all that much."

Riolu crossed his arms and puffed his furry little chest out, defending his pride. "I'm sure that I have more experience than you do!" Lily just rolled her eyes. It seemed he wasn't quite as mature as she had originally assumed.

They made their way to the outskirts of town, which was easy and uneventful. Most people were in their houses by nightfall in small towns like this one. Not to mention her grandfather's lab was literally right on the edge of town, the nearest route a short distance away, which was the closest place to find someone to help.

"How long will this take?" Lily asked, looking around nervously. It was getting darker and darker with each minute that passed by.

Riolu looked around for a moment. "I thought sure we would have spotted a trainer by now. Maybe there's one a little farther out from town..."

It was soon after that Lily realized the grass was getting taller. She couldn't see over it anymore. She stuck close to Riolu, not wanting to get lost.

"Riolu, this doesn't feel safe...Can't we go back and just try again tomorrow?"

"I thought you wanted to get this over with? And where is your sense of adventure?" he asked, obviously liking the change from being in a building all day. She sighed and followed him through the thick brush. It seemed they would never get out of the tall grass. Suddenly Riolu froze in front of her, his ears perking straight up.

"What's wrong?"

"Shhh!"

She stood still too. Then she heard it. A gentle swooshing noise was being made from somewhere above them. A bird of some sort, maybe?

Lily looked towards the starry sky. The moon was full and bright tonight, and seemed to be right above her. Then she saw a dark shadow cross under the moon's pale surface. She gasped and looked over at Riolu. He, too, had seen the creature fly across the sky.

"Riolu..." she whispered.

"Shh."

A piercing cry was heard as the creature swept down directly above their heads. Lily screamed and Riolu yelled for her to run. With that, they both started sprinting...in opposite directions. Lily stopped as she realized Riolu hadn't went the same way she had.

"Riolu?" she called out. Too late, Lily realized it was a mistake.

The creature dove down again, this time trying to grab her with its talons. Her eyes closed tight as she lay as flat as possible to the ground. She felt a sharp talon rake across her back, but luckily for her, it only ripped out some fur. It seemed working her legs in this new body was a lot more easy when her life was at stake. The moment it was away from her she ran as fast as her short little Eevee legs would allow her to, not having a clue of where she was at. The tall grass was everywhere in sight.

Suddenly it ended. Lily fell to the ground as she tripped over a rock and got a face full of dirt.

The seventeen year old painfully stood up and shook the dirt off of her coat. Fear and adrenaline were still pumping all throughout her body. Looking around, she saw a stream flowing silently off to her right and trees everywhere. She still had no idea of where she was, but her throat was dry from running and she realized she was still panting heavily.

Looking around before making any sudden movement, she made her way over to the stream to get a quick drink. After lapping up some of the cool water, she once again looked around. Her breathing had slowed quite a bit, but she was still exhausted.

Her ears perked up as she heard the same swooshing sound from before. The winged creature had apparently spotted her again. She ran along the shore of the stream instead of going back into the thick grass. At least she could see this way.

'But that thing can see me, too...' she thought. 'I have to lose it somehow!'

To her left was the thick grass, and to her right was the stream. Beyond that was a forest of pine trees which were also very thick. Making a quick plan, she decided to run until she found a spot where she could cross the river. If she could just make it to the other side the thick branches would prevent it from flying after her, and surely this creature wouldn't come to the forest floor to find her.

After another minute of running, she saw what appeared to be a fallen log going across the stream. Lily heard the creature getting closer. The noisy flapping suddenly ceased. It was diving at her again.

'Just a little more!' her mind screamed at her. Her sides were burning from all the running.

It was now or never. With a bounding leap, Lily dove into the hollowed out log. Right behind her was the sound of a body crashing into the ground. With a pained squawk, the creature took flight again.

Finally she was safe! Still breathing hard, Lily collapsed on the floor of the log.

Unfortunately, she knew a rotting log wasn't exactly the safest place to sleep for the night. She would have to keep looking.. Her new bruises made her cringe as she stood up on her four paws.

"I just have to get into that forest..."

But wait. Then what? She hadn't even thought that far ahead. There were undoubtedly more creatures lurking in the forest that would cause problems for a little Eevee. All wild Pokemon couldn't be out to get her, right?

"Of course not!" she answered herself sarcastically. "Just the hungry ones..."

Lifting a paw to take a step further into the log, Lily got an uneasy feeling. After a moment of hesitation, she stepped anyways, and gasped as the bottom of the log made a cracking noise. She quickly withdrew her paw and took a step back. The log cracked again behind her.

"Uh oh..."

Deciding her only options were to sit perfectly still until the log decayed on its own, or to make a run for it before she further damaged the aging log, she chose the later. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to dash forward and out of the log, but screamed as her footing was lost. The log had obviously decided to ruin her plans and collapse on its own.

The next thing Lily knew, she was under water. The stream didn't appear fast-moving before, but looks could be deceiving. The current was strong enough to pull her downstream. She broke the surface and gulped down as much air as possible.

Trying her best to swim, she at least managed to kept her head above the water. Finally, the current slowed down a bit and she paddled her way to the shore. She was soaked from her nose to her tail. Shaking off as a dog would do, Lily growled in frustration. Today had been too much for her.

She walked to the edge of the dark pine forest and found a tree with branches low to the ground. Beneath the tree, pine needles covered the ground. The soft needles felt good on her tired paws. She lay down on the now comfy ground and curled up with her tail wrapped around her body. It seemed that all the running had finally made her too tired to stay awake any longer. Closing her still emerald eyes, she fell asleep with one last thought.

How could her life get so confusing in less than twenty-four hours?

…...

**Ahh...and the story progresses. Once again, hope you enjoyed chapter two. Review!**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu


	3. Best Kept Secret

**Chapter Three: Best Kept Secret**

…... 

Lily yawned, stretching her stiff, sleep-ridden limbs.

Looking around, she was immediately frightened and confused, if only for a moment. There were pine trees everywhere. Then she remembered yesterday's events. She wondered what she should do now. Riolu could be anywhere. She was in the middle of the woods. Woods filled with wild Pokemon. Maybe she could find someone to help her, preferably a smaller, nicer, weaker Pokemon.

She stood up and looked around. Deciding that she would get lost if she looked around in the pine forest, she instead followed the stream, although sticking close to the trees, enjoying the strong smell and the feeling of shelter they provided. After walking for a good hour or so, she had yet to see any kind of Pokemon.

"This is just great!" she yelled in frustration.

Lily sat down beside the stream and looked at her reflection again. Something seemed different about her reflection, besides the obvious fact that she was an Eevee now. She leaned her head low towards the water until her nose was nearly touching the surface. All of the sudden, she screamed and fell backwards as a new face appeared where her reflection had been moments before.

"Who are you?"

Lily sat up quickly to figure out who was talking to her. Still half sitting in the river was a Vaporeon.

"Well?" it asked again.

Lily didn't know quite what to say. The Vaporeon surely wouldn't understand that she was human. "I'm Lily...Who are you?"

"Where are you from? I've never seen you around here," asked the Vaporeon, ignoring Lily's question. It stepped out of the water and began to circle around her, as if inspecting her for any sign of familiarity.

"I'm...new around here," she lied.

The Vaporeon looked at her with a questioning look, but asked nothing. "Well you look like you've had a rough night. Do you have a place to stay?"

Lily shook her head. "No. I'm afraid not. I just arrived last night after being chased by some sort of Pokemon."

"You were traveling at night? That's not safe around here without one of the Umbreon to escort you around."

"Umbreon? There are Umbreon around here?" Lily asked excitedly. What a rare find!

"Of course! All of us Eons live here."

Lily gave the Vaporeon a confused stare. The water Pokemon seemed shocked.** (A/N: haha, shocked!...yeah never mind).**

"You mean...you don't know anything about the packs around here?"

"Packs? As in Pokemon packs?" Lily asked. The Vaporeon seemed to understand that Lily didn't have a clue what was out in these woods.

"Come with me. I'll just show you instead of explaining." With that, the Vaporeon walked out of the water and into the forest. Lily stayed close behind. She would not get lost twice within twenty-four hours if she could help it.

Tree after tree passed by. They all looked the same to Lily. Nothing but pines in every direction. How long had they been walking? After what seemed to be at least an hour of walking and very little talking, the Vaporeon halted. Lily looked up expectantly at the blue Pokemon, but turned her head when a rustling noise was heard. From a bush in front of them walked out a brightly colored Pokemon. A Flareon. It's fur appeared to be made out of flames dancing in every direction.

"Jet," the Flareon greeted with a smile. "Back from you swim so soon?" It had yet to notice the little Eevee behind the Vaporeon.

Wait. The Flareon had said a name, just now. Jet? That must be the Vaporeon's name. Lily wondered why the Vaporeon hadn't introduced himself to her yet. Likely a matter of trust, she decided.

"Yes," Jet said slowly. "I found a...visitor. In the woods." Lily took the time to poke her head out from behind Jet. The Flareon looked at her, its nose wrinkled up as if smelling something rotten.

"She smells of humans," it stated simply.

Jet nodded in agreement. Lily got a look of terror on her face. These wild Pokemon must not like humans. What if they found out that she was one herself? Would they hurt her? She didn't think Pokemon were that cruel. Luck was with Lily again though, as the Vaporeon stuck up for her well being.

"But she is an Eevee. By the law of our pack, she is welcomed as long as she does no harm to herself or others while staying with us."

The Flareon nodded in agreement this time. It turned and retreated back into the shrub from which it first came out from. Jet followed and instructed Lily to do the same. What was on the other side of the brush was breathtaking. A crystal clear lake was sitting in a small clearing. On three of the four sides of the clearing were more pine trees, but they seemed to be bunched together even closer than before. On the fourth side, and sided next to the lake, the ground rose high. It was the bottom of a cliff. Water trickled down the cliff, making a natural cascading waterfall. Berry bushes were scattered all over. Looking closer, Lily saw that there were more Vaporeon like Jet swimming in the lake, along with a few other water Pokemon.

Jet looked down at Lily and smiled. She was speechless, taking in the beauty of the surrounding area. Everything was perfect. The grass was just soft enough, the water was crystal clear, and she could forever listen to the sound of the waterfall and the forest sounds combined. Snapping out of her mini-trance, Lily noticed the Flareon had left. He must have gone back to his previous post.

"Come on. I'll show you the shortest way up," he said to Lily and took off towards the lake.

"Up?" Lily asked.

The newly bodied girl looked at the cliff. It wasn't too extremely high up, but way too steep to try climbing up, especially in this body. She took off after Jet. He was now standing ankle deep in the clear water.

"Get on. I'll give you a ride across so you don't have to walk all the way around the lake."

Lily hesitated, but seeing the distance between them and the wall of the cliff, she clumsily climbed upon his back. It wasn't easy trying to stand on a moving Pokemon, and she fell off twice on the way there. Not to mention he was a bit slippery, being a water Pokemon and all. She held in a groan the second time she fell off. Perhaps the worst part about this body was wet fur, clinging and pressed to her sides, weighing her down enough to be annoying.

Water Pokemon were swimming all around them, mostly Vaporeon. Some of them looked over and barked in greeting. One thing that Lily didn't understand was how there were so many of them. Eevee were rare to find in the wild. Any of the evolution forms were nearly impossible to find wild. This must be a very smart pack to stay hidden so well.

"Here we are!" Jet said at last and stepped foot onto land. Lily jumped off his back. They were now right beside the waterfall. A thin strip of land lead behind it, where it was too dark to see. Jet walked towards the dark cave.

"This leads up onto the cliff. That's where my pack stays. We come down to swim, hunt, play, or whatever. Only during the day, however. There are too many dangers in that forest to be out there alone when the sun sets."

"I've noticed," Lily said, thinking about the winged creature that nearly killed her the night before.

Instead of the cave going down into the earth like Lily had expected, its slope went up. It wasn't steep. Just a gradual upward slope. There were turns and tunnels inside the cave, but Jet seemed to know where he was going. After quite a few minutes of making their way through the cave, Lily saw daylight pouring into the darkness up ahead. Stepping outside and into the sunlight caused her to squint from the change of light. After her eyes adjusted, Lily took in the sight before her.

Just like before, the sight was astonishing.

The top of the cliff resembled a bowl, with a natural rock wall along the entire surface of the cliff, hiding the sanctuary from everywhere but above. She could see more caves in the walls. Grass covered the ground and brightly colored berries were flourishing on bushes scattered across the top of the cliff. There were trees, also, though not anything like the abundant pine trees in the forest below. Giant, ancient looking trees were in various places all around, the largest and tallest one in the dead center of the cliff top. A smaller lake was placed near the edge of the cliff. It was the source of the small waterfall streaming down the cliff, assumingly fed by an underground supply of water.

"What do you think?" Jet asked. Lily was still looking around in all different directions, trying to take all of it in.

"This is amazing..." she finally breathed.

What was even more amazing to her was the Pokemon living here. There were so many of them! At the entrances of caves, resting in the shade below the huge trees, eating berries, rolling around in the grass, getting a lap of water from the lake...everywhere! All of them Eevee and the evolutions of it!

This is what her and her grandfather had been studying. Evolution. And here was the master Pokemon of the word itself.

"I can't believe this..." Lily said, still at a whisper.

"Yeah I know. This place is great. The meadow and the lake, I mean it's really a perfect-"

"Look at all of them! Eevees...in every direction!" Lily interrupted. This was such an amazing discovery. It could change the world! Already she had spotted dozens of the evolved Pokemon. There were Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, and of course Eevees. Didn't Jet say something about Umbreon? She hadn't seen one yet...but then again they were dark Pokemon. Maybe they would come out once the sun set.

Jet was confused. "What's so shocking about that? You're an Eevee yourself. Have you never seen another of your own kind?"

Lily frowned as she realized her mistake. "Er...of course I have. Many times. But...just not so many in one place at one time. It's just extraordinary!"

"Well you'll love it here then. This isn't even half of our numbers." Jet replied, not thinking much of her initial shock. "First you have to go meet our leader. You can stay here, but you need to become a member of the pack first."

Lily took her gaze away from the sites before her and looked up at Jet's blue face. "A member of the pack?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "We can't just let any outsider stay here. You just have to answer a few questions, and maybe a little test or something. It's no big deal at all, really." He saw the look of doubt on the Eevee's face. "You do want to become a member, right?"

Lily looked down at the ground in thought. What to do, what to do. She was a human, not a Pokemon! She first and foremost needed to find Riolu, though she was fairly certain that since the creature followed her last night, he should be fine. Being raised by humans though, he was likely terrified. Equally important was to fix this mess. To get back to her family, her house...to get back to her normal human life. Looking around at the perfect sanctuary though, she couldn't help but to sway a bit in her decision. Maybe just few nights here, with food and water and protection, couldn't hurt.

"If I join," she started, hesitantly, "do I have to stay here...like forever?"

The water type cocked his head at her question, honestly confused as to why she would ask such a thing. "No...you're free to come and go. But why would you want to leave?"

She chose her words carefully before answering. "I'm kind of in the middle of a...a journey. I would love to join this pack, but I can't promise that I'll come back once I leave."

Jet nodded. "Right. Well there have been Pokemon who decided to leave in the past, but not for a very long time. We stay here to be safe from the humans. You'll just have to explain to our leader, Neta. She is a kind Pokemon. You shouldn't worry."

Lily sighed. She was going to have to either come up with some believable story of how she was found out in the middle of nowhere, or tell these Pokemon the truth...though they may not believe the truth anyways. Jet seemed to pick up on how stressed out she seemed to be.

"How about you relax for a while first? Eat some food, rest, anything, just make yourself at home."

Lily smiled up at him, thankful for his understanding.

"That sounds great."

…...

Riolu fell to the ground in exhaustion.

All night he had been trying to find Lily, and with no luck. Twice he had ran into the flying Pokemon last night, but he continued searching, even past daybreak. He lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Finally, however, his breathing got slower and quieter, his racing pulse returning to normal. A quick rest was just what he had needed.

The little fighting Pokemon stood up and sniffed in the air. There were many scents. All sorts of Pokemon had passed here. One smell seemed to stick out. He sniffed again.

Water!

Getting down on all fours, he ran towards the smell. Where there was water, there were always Pokemon. Maybe he could ask around if anyone had seen his friend. Soon, he came to a stream. There were no Pokemon around that he could see. How odd. He thought for sure he would find at least one other Pokemon by now.

"What'cha looking at?" said a voice right next to Riolu. He screamed and nearly fell over. Looking over at the owner of the voice, he saw a little white and blue Pokemon staring up at him.

"Who are you?" Riolu asked cautiously.

"I'm Pachirisu! Well that's what I am...but it's also what you can call me by, if you'd like. Or just Patch!" said the little squirrel in one quick breath.

Riolu looked at the hyper rodent for another moment before finally asking, "Okay, Patch. Do you think you could help me with something?"

"Sure!" said the Pachirisu. Its tail was bouncing up and down in excitement.

"A friend of mine and myself got separated last night. I'm worried because she's never been out on her own in the wild. She's an Eevee, a little brown and white Pokemon. Have you seen her around?"

The electric squirrel laughed. "Well I doubt it will help asking anyone in these woods if they've seen an Eevee!"

"What?" Riolu asked, puzzled by the sudden outburst of laughter and odd behavior.

"You see, there is pack of Eevee evolutions here. Eevee are common sights in these woods. I'm afraid I can't help you."

Riolu's confused look turned into a disappointed one. Patch's tail stopped moving as his ears fell. "There is one thing I could do for you," he added, trying his best to help this potential new friend.

Riolu looked hopeful again. "Really?"

"Yeah. I could take you to someone from the pack. They would surely know if a new Eevee was around. Maybe they could point you in the right direction."

"That would be great!" Riolu exclaimed. "Where is the pack?"

"Well, not many Pokemon really know. Only those who the Eons have trusted know how to get there. But there are always some of them running around the forest. We'll just have to find one." Riolu nodded. If this was what he had to do to find Lily, then he would do it. "First things first. The pack normally stays on the other side of the river. We'll need to cross it."

With that said, Patch ran along the stream. He stopped to look back. "You coming?"

Riolu ran up to him and smiled. "Yeah. And thanks. This really means a lot to me."

The squirrel-like creature smiled back, genuinely glad to be of any help. "Of course it does. I'm sure we'll find your friend."

"I hope so," Riolu replied.

Both Pokemon got down on all fours and ran along the edge of the stream. Riolu pushed himself to keep up with the smaller Pokemon, desperate to find Lily as quickly as possible. It was his stupid idea to go out in the middle of the night, and his fault his best and only friend was currently alone in the woods somewhere, hopefully uninjured. He just had to find Lily.

…...

**Not too much to say at the moment, except that as usual, hope you're enjoying my work. If you're not...well, I don't really care. It's my story, and I'm enjoying it very much, thank you! (: **

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Jet - Vaporeon  
Patch - Pachirisu


	4. Alien Youth

**Chapter Four: Alien Youth**

The day was nearly over.

For the past few hours, Lily had been resting in a cave that Jet had showed her to. The kind Vaporeon had told her she needed some sleep before meeting Neta, the leader of this pack. The only problem was that Lily couldn't sleep. There was just too much on her mind to even think about going to sleep.

Instead of sitting in the darkness of the small cave, she decided she would look around. Maybe walking would calm her down a bit. She sighed heavily while walking out of the cave entrance. Alright. She needed to come up with a story. An explanation as to how she wound up here. Something simple, believable...

Her thoughts continued like this for a few more steps until she ran into something spikey in front of her.

"Ouch! Watch it!" growled a male voice.

Looking up, Lily saw a bright yellow Pokemon before her. "Hey! You're a Jolteon!" she said, surprised.

The said Jolteon only growled more. "Why don't you watch where you're going next time you little runt!"

"I'm so sorry. I was just thinking and I didn't see where I was going. I didn't mean to-"

"Save it for someone who cares," interrupted the electric Pokemon, turning to walk away from Lily, apparently losing interest.

Lily's apologetic voice turned bitter. "What a jerk..." she muttered under her breath without thinking.

"What did you say?" it growled, turning to face her again. The yellow fur on the Jolteon's body pricked up in all directions. Lily took a step back. This was not good. This was not good at all. Not only had she managed to pick a fight within hours of arriving at this beautiful, seemingly perfect place in which she was a guest at, but she had no battling knowledge at all.

Sparks started to fly around the yellow Pokemon. Lily fell to the ground in fear and covered her eyes with her little brown paws. This was going to hurt. A new feeling of sympathy and respect for all the Pokemon that faithfully battled for their masters was registered in her mind briefly.

"Back off, Sindri!" said a new, unknown voice. Lifting one paw to catch a glimpse of her defender, Lily saw a bright furry body now between her and the Jolteon. It was another Flareon, possibly the same one from before or not, she had no way of knowing. This one was ready for battle, though. Its fur was blazing, and she could feel the heat radiating from a far distance.

"Out of my way, Roan," said the Jolteon, or Sindri, as the Flareon had unknowingly filled her in to. "This little runt needs to be taught some manners."

The Flareon, Roan, didn't budge. "I said to back off."

Both Pokemon were ready to attack. Roan's once calm fur now looked as if it were a blazing fire. Sindri shot sparks in random directions. Both males were growling. It seemed they were waiting for the other to make the first move...but neither got the chance to.

A stream of water was shot at the two fighting Pokemon that lasted for several moments. When it ended, Sindri ended up shocking himself and Roan was soaked, whatever flame attack he was planning on using now ruined. Both were dripping and now not ready for any kind of fight.

"Knock it off, you idiots!"

Lily looked over to see a familiar face. It was Jet.

"You alright, Lily?" he asked, stepping in front of her. She nodded for an answer, still being speechless from the intensity of the almost-battle between Roan and Sindri. She had seen Pokemon battles before, but never had she been in one as the Pokemon.

"Good. It's time to go meet our leader."

"Right now?" she asked, panicking. She hadn't had time to come up with a story yet.

"Yeah. The sooner, the better. Come with me." With that, Lily and Jet walked away from the two previously fighting Pokemon. Lily wished she could have thanked the Flareon for defending her.

There was a moment of silence before Lily decided to ask a question. "So what's up with that Jolteon?"

"Sindri?" Jet asked, looking down at Lily.

"Yeah. He seemed so unfriendly." Jet looked back up. He seemed to be thinking about how to answer.

"Sindri worked hard to become a Jolteon. I think he forgets that he's not the strongest one in the pack sometimes, nor does he have the skills and heart it takes to be a leader. He just likes to feel like he's in control, and picks on smaller, weaker Pokemon like yourself. No offense," he added with a toothy grin.

The answer wasn't quite what Lily had expected. Worked hard to become a Jolteon? Then the question came to her mind. How did this pack even have evolved Pokemon? They would need a vast amount of evolution stones. But she supposed that's all the information she would get from Jet. For now. She had only been here for half of a day. Of course they weren't going to fill her in on everything yet.

"Here we are. This is the pack leader's cave."

They were now standing before a cave that looked similar to all the others, with the exception that it was a little bigger. Jet let out a small bark to alert whoever was in the cave that they were outside waiting. No one came.

"You won't find my mother in there. She is ill again," said a voice from behind them. Both turned around to see who was talking.

"Miss Akila," Jet said sweetly, lowering his head to show respect to her. She seemed to ignore his gesture.

"I've told you not to do that, Jet."

"The future leader of our pack deserves such respect."

Lily had to hold back from asking more questions. Before her was the psychic Eevee evolution, Espeon. Akila, said Espeon, seemed to just notice the little Eevee.

"Hello, little one. What brings you here?"

Jet answered for her. "This is Lily. She wishes to become a member of our pack, with your permission of course."

"That little runt can't become a member! She just walked in our territory! We should punish her if anything!" They all turned. It was Sindri again, and running up from behind him was Roan the Flareon. Lily decided that Sindri probably wasn't going to stop calling her a runt for quite a while.

"Sindri, just leave the kid alone," Roan told the Jolteon.

Sindri ignored him. "Miss Akila, please, you can't just let every single Eevee passing by join our pack. This particular one reeks of human!"

"I'm aware of that, Sindri. It is my decision to make," Akila said, her violet eyes narrowing. Sindri didn't seem satisfied.

"But-"

"Sindri!" both Jet and Roan snapped in unison. Akila seemed to be annoyed.

"The three of you are dismissed." Sindri rolled his eyes and turned to leave. Jet and Roan both followed quietly.

"You are quiet, little one," said Akila after they were out of hearing range.

Lily turned towards the Espeon. "Sorry Miss...Akila. I just...I'm not sure how this whole pack thing works. What do I have to do to join?"

Akila smiled at her. "It's nothing at all. You just have to prove to the two of us that you don't mean to harm the rest of the pack, or that you aren't planning to give away our location. Secrets must be kept secrets."

"Two?"

"Oh yes. I forgot to introduce you to my mate," Akila said, turning towards her dark cave. "Yalon? Would you come meet Lily now?"

From out of the shadows stepped a black and yellow Pokemon. An Umbreon. "Pleased to meet you," he said in a soft voice, inclining his head to be polite.

Lily smiled at him. "You too."

Akila seemed satisfied with the introduction. She spoke to Lily. "Lily, we're going to ask you a number of questions. Answer truthfully, and remember that I will know if you do not," she said, the sun gleaming off the dark red jewel on her forehead.

"Okay..." Lily said after a moment. This was not going to be good.

"When did you arrive in our woods?" Akila started.

This was an easy one. "Just yesterday evening. I was traveling with a friend. We were separated though."

"Who is your friend?" Yalon asked, curious.

"A Riolu. He's young, but I'm sure he's just fine. I'm hoping to find him soon."

"And where did you come from, before arriving in the forest?"

Lily had to think for a moment. "The human town across the river," she said honestly.

"You lived with the humans," Akila repeated, confused. "Do you belong to a human?" Lily was starting to worry. Should she just tell this Espeon everything?

"No. I didn't belong to anyone."

Akila gave Lily a questioning look. "Maybe we should just sit and have a talk, not this common questioning and testing. It seems that you have a story to tell."

Lily sighed. "I don't think I can do that. You wouldn't believe me if I tried to explain everything that's happened in the last day."

Akila smiled.

"Try me."

Lily sat on the cool dirt floor of the cave. This wasn't going to be fun.

…...

**Espeon equals win. Sorry if the chapters are moving a bit slow. Not the best at writing super long chapters at this point, but I'm trying! Anywho, glad you stopped by again. Review if you feel the need. It makes my day! (:**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu  
Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon - Umbreon


	5. I Trust You

**Chapter Five: I Trust You**

Riolu reluctantly opened his eyes. Trying to hold back a yawn, and failing, he sat up, wondering what could have awoken him from his slumber. Looking to his side, Patch was still sound asleep, snoring ever so slightly, his furry tail curled around his tiny body to keep him warm. It was still dark out. Nothing was around, from what he could see. Blaming it on the wind, he curled back up into a ball on the ground.

Then he heard it again. A growl? Or was it more of a hiss? The little fox groaned as he sat up again. Getting to his feet, he wondered to himself if he should wake Patch. Then again, the squirrel was noisy and jittery. Probably not a good idea.

Feeling more awake now, he listed again to find out where the noise was coming from. Running quietly, he made his way in the direction of the sounds. After a brief jog, he stopped. There were Pokemon very near. He could hear and smell them now. Crawling through the undergrowth, he peered into a small clearing from his cover. There were Pokemon there that Riolu could just make out from the starlight.

"You were supposed to have this job done by now, you little weasel," growled a gruff male voice. From the silhouette, it seemed to belong to a dog Pokemon. An angry one, at that. Riolu shuddered at the power behind the voices.

The larger form growled. He seemed to be speaking to a creature on the forest floor. The creature was female, by the sound of its pleading voice.

"They're guarded! I can't sneak by like you said. A Flareon was standing watch, and I can't stand the fire-"

The first voice cut her off, growling with rage. "You want to see fire, little Sneasel? I can show you fire!" Riolu watched in horror as both creatures were lit up. The Houndoom was holding back flames behind his razor sharp teeth, which were bared as he continued to snarl. He stood above his fellow Pokemon. The frightened Dark and Ice type, the Sneasel, had both paws raised in front of her face, awaiting her punishment.

"That will be enough, Oran." A new voice. Oran, who must have been the Houndoom, looked up. His flames and threats ceased for the moment.

"Aw, c'mon, Keir. Where's your sense of fun?" Oran whined. Riolu couldn't see what this Keir fellow was, but he smelled different than the Houndoom. Still dog-like, but not exactly the same.

"You can have your fun when our little friend brings us back the information we want. Does that sound good for you, Nurul?"

Riolu could only assume that Nurul was the Sneasel, since the other two had been named already. She must have simply answered with a nod, because Riolu heard no reply from the smaller Pokemon.

"Good," Keir replied. "Now come along, Oran. We have other business to attend to. I await your arrival at the den, Nurul. Do attempt to make haste."

Oran snorted, shooting a few flames from his muzzle that flew very close to the Sneasel on the ground. She whimpered as they walked away. After a few moments, the two dogs were gone. Nurul didn't seem to be getting up anytime soon. Riolu wondered what to do. After waiting a few minutes, just to make sure the other two were gone, he gathered up his courage and stepped out into the clearing.

Nurul was instantly at his throat with her razor sharp claws.

"What do you want?" she hissed in question. Riolu was frozen still with shock. "Well?" she waited.

He stuttered a reply quickly. "I- I was just going to- ...I mean I was checking if you were-"

"If I was alright? How does it concern you, you little mongrel?"

She pressed her claws deeper into the fur at his throat. Riolu was trembling at this point. Nurul seemed annoyed at the lack of response. She snarled and snapped her jaws inches away from Riolu's nose. He stumbled backwards in fear, landing on his rump. The Sneasel let out a bitter laugh.

Riolu's pride was hurt. "I was only trying to help you..." he mumbled. The dark Pokemon looked down in surprise.

"You...wanted to help me?"

Riolu nodded.

"Why? You know nothing about me."

Riolu thought over it for a split second. "It's just the right thing to do, I guess."

She gave him a curious look. "Who are you? And where are you from? You don't smell like you're from around here."

Now they were getting somewhere.

…...

Akila waited patiently.

"I don't think I can do this..." Lily said shyly to the Espeon and Umbreon before her.

"You can," Yalon told her quite simply.

"No, really. You don't understand."

Akila smiled encouragingly. "We will understand if you tell us."

"We won't judge you, Lily," Yalon added.

Lily sighed. "Would you judge me if I were a human standing in front of you right now?" Both Pokemon exchanged glances. Akila answered.

"That is...irreverent. You are an Eevee. Not to mention that a human could never step past our borders."

Lily didn't know what to do. She couldn't possibly tell the truth. They would kick her out for sure, if not worse, and she would have no help in finding Riolu. This place was an astounding find for the scientific community. If she could only stay for a few days, or if possible a couple of weeks...she could learn so much from such a natural, undisturbed setting like this. Lily could only imagine the look on her grandfather's face when he heard about this! If he heard about this, she reminded herself.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

Akila sighed. "I was afraid of that." The two Pokemon walked her out of the cave. "If you cannot talk with us, then you are not welcomed here."

The phychic evolution Pokemon looked in the sky towards the setting sun. Lily followed her gaze. The day had passed too quickly, it seemed. Lily felt as if she had accomplished nothing.

Akila spoke again. "I will not force you to leave tonight. There are cruel Pokemon in these woods. But when the sun rises, you will be escorted away from our lands by our guards, and myself. I will have to erase parts of your memory. You will forget about this place once you step outside of our borders."

"What?" Lily asked in shock. "You can't do that!"

"We can," Akila stated, "and we will, unless you can prove yourself worthy to remember such knowledge by sunrise. That is all. You will stay with Yalon for the remainder of your visit in our home." She took one last look at the little Eevee before retreating back into her cave. "Farewell, little one."

The sun had set by this point, and Lily would have thought she was left standing alone in the dark if not for the soft voice of an Umbreon moments later.

"Follow me," Yalon stated. She followed him back to the cave she had rested in before. He stopped outside the entrance, letting her go to rest inside.

Lily couldn't think straight. There had to be a way...she didn't want to leave! It felt safe, comforting...it felt like home. Wait. Home? Since when was this about feelings? No. She wanted to improve human knowledge about Pokemon. Not to frolic with other Pokemon. She was human. It wouldn't be right...would it? What if she couldn't return back to her human form? This would be the place to be, if that was so...

No! She would be human again. And there was still so much to learn about this place and its inhabitants. She just had to find a way to stay. Even if it meant risking it all. There were too many questions about this lifestyle to pass up. How did all these Pokemon evolve? How did they establish the rankings? How did they even come across this place? Why had she only seen a single Espeon, and no Leafeon or Glaceon? She had so many unanswered questions.

Finally, the day's events caught up with Lily as she drifted to sleep.

…...

_Lily walked into the empty lab room._

_"Grandpa Rowan? Riolu?"_

_No answer._

_"Anyone home?" she yelled, looking around the room._

_Then she saw the DNA machine standing before her. Shuddering, she turned to walk out the door and search elsewhere for her family, not wanting to be around that machine, though she couldn't recall why that was so. She was astonished as she turned around._

_"That's strange...I don't remember shutting the door."_

_It wouldn't budge. When she touched the handle again, a shock went through her body. She pulled back immediately._

_"Ouch!"_

_The lights went off. Lily screamed for a fraction of a second. Turning around back to the room, the door to the DNA machine was open...white smoke pouring out of the horrid contraption. It was glowing oddly in the dark room, providing a dim, eerie light._

_"Riolu...?" She called again, her voice shaking._

_"Jolllteon..." growled a voice from behind her._

_Lily gasped as she looked behind her, taking a step away from the growling Pokemon. The white foggy substance was twisting coolly around her ankles now. There was no where else to go. She turned around and stopped dead in her tracks. Two eyes were staring out from the fog, blood red._

_Looking around the room quickly for another means of escape, she saw many more pairs of eyes, all glowing the same deep red color. An Eevee jumped out from the mist and growled at her. A familiar pain shot through her body. She sank slowly and painfully to the floor, growing smaller, it seemed, as she went. Sitting up quickly, she looked down at herself._

_She was an Eevee again._

_"No! Help, please! Riolu! Where are you?"_

_The Pokemon surrounding her were closing in. The Eevee lunged at her, teeth and claws coming at her quickly. She couldn't hold back the scream that came next._

…_..._

"Lily? Lily, wake up. It's just a dream."

Yalon nudged the sleeping Eevee awake. Opening her eyes, she screamed at the Umbreon's glowing red eyes, falling onto her back in shock.

"Are you alright?"

She took a moment to gather her senses. She was here. Not in the lab. Safe.

"Y-yes...I think so."

Yalon stared at Lily for a moment. "You are by far the strangest Pokemon I have ever met." With that said, he walked gracefully out of the cave into the night.

"Hey!" she followed swiftly, not wanting to be left alone in the dark as she was still frightened from her dream. "Where are you going?"

He slowed, giving Lily time to catch up to his faster pace.

"To visit the sky, of course."

Lily gave him a strange look. He continued on his way outside. She kept up this time. He walked across the ground, barely making a noise. They walked a little ways further until coming to another cave. Yalon walked in without a second thought, Lily having even more trouble following him in the dark. His softly glowing rings helped slightly. Whenever she would fall behind, he stopped until she caught up.

Finally, they exited the cave. It led to a small overhang outside of the great walls shielding the pack's home. They were on the cliff's edge now, on a small piece of land sticking out from the steep slope. Though there wasn't much room, the overhang held a tiny pool, crystal clear and still as the night. Lily thought it must be a natural spring, or perhaps just a little hole that filled with rain water.

"Drink. It will help clear your head."

Lily did as she was told, drinking the cool liquid. It tasted as pure and sweet as it looked. Almost instantly, she was calm, the buzzing thoughts in her mind vanished. Yalon sat in silence, staring at the night sky. Lily followed suit.

"The stars give us answers, if we stay silent enough to hear, little one."

Lily didn't know what to say. Nor did she have a clue what Yalon had just said. Instead, she continued to stare into the vast space above her head, picking out individual consolations that she learned as a child. The stars give answers? The only thing she had heard of stars giving out was wishes, and her wishes upon stars had yet to come true. Of course, it was just a myth and all. But what answers could stars give?

"How?" she finally asked. Yalon looked down in surprise. She hadn't said a word until now.

"What is it that you seek?" he asked, still looking at her, though with a curious look on his face now.

"What do I seek?" she repeated. "Most of all, help."

Yalon stayed silent for a while longer. "One cannot help unless you give him reason to do so."

Lily continued to look at the sky. The moon shone bright this night, though partially hidden by clouds. She felt oddly at peace with Yalon. Unpressed. Relaxed and at ease. Maybe he really wouldn't judge her for what she was and what she had become.

It was now or never. "Yalon...I think I'm ready to share my story."

The Umbreon smiled lightly as the clouds parted. The moon lit up the rings on his body, causing them to glow eerily, but beautifully all the same.

Yalon stayed silent, waiting to hear Lily's story.

…...

**I'm super sorry for the delay. I have no excuses, as usual. Just plain laziness. I did enjoy this chapter very much though, once I got around to it.**

**Happy Easter to all!**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu

Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon

Nurul – Sneasel  
Oran – Houndoom  
Keir – ?


	6. Would It Matter

**Chapter Six: Would It Matter**

Yalon stayed silent during Lily's story.

She told him everything; where her home was, about her family, how she used to help her grandfather in the lab...then about the experiment, and the pain of her transformation. She told him how she and Riolu tried to find a human to listen and possibly help the two distressed Pokemon, then how the flying creature attacked and they were separated. Yalon stopped her when she started telling how Jet had found her at the river.

"That's enough. Jet has told me everything following your meeting at the river."

Lily sighed. She felt better, but was still worried. "So...do I still have to leave?"

Yalon looked ahead, seemingly staring off into space. The moon was sinking lower in the sky, leaving until the next night. He answered, finally, after a long moment.

"I don't believe we have a choice but to keep you here now." Lily gave the dark Pokemon a questioning look.

"You are human," he answered, not looking down at her. "You know of this place now. True, we could modify your memories, but we can never be sure that you won't stumble upon our home again some time in the future, simply by mistake or at the ghost of a memory. More importantly, you have no knowledge of how to survive in the wild. These woods are deadly to an inexperienced being. Human and Pokemon alike."

Lily shook her head. "No, that won't work. Yalon, I can't stay here forever like that. I have a family and a home to get back to...my human life. I can't stay a Pokemon forever!"

"What other choice do you have, little Eevee?" he said bluntly, trying to make her see the situation clearly. "How do you propose we make you human again? If that were an option, I do not believe you would be standing in front of me as an Eevee right now."

Her ears fell. "There has to be a way...Isn't there some powerful Pokemon out there that could help? You have psychic Pokemon here. They must be able to do something to help."

"We have only two Espeon living with us. Their physic powers may be strong, but not nearly strong enough to do such a task."

"Only two?" she asked, shocked. Out of the dozens and dozens of Eevee running around, only two had become their psychic counterpart?

He nodded. "Leader Neta, and her daughter, my mate, Akila. There used to be more before the fighting with the dark Pokemon in this forest started."

Dark Pokemon? Lily was curious. "Like dark type Pokemon?"

He answered with a simple nod.

"But...you're a dark type."

"All Umbreon you may see around the forest belong to this pack. Few reside on the cliff with the rest of the pack. Umbreon and Flareon serve as guards. I stay here both to guard and accompany my mate, seeing as she is one of the two Espeon in our pack. Most of the Umbreon stay in the tunnels and the forest surrounding the waterfall."

It all made sense. Physics were incredibly strong and wise, and they could sometimes sense upcoming events. It fits that they would become the leaders of the pack. But if there were dark types around the area...that would propose a problem. They would need guards. The only eeveelution able to stand up to a powerful dark type would be another dark type. But why the fire type, Flareon? Was it simply to keep the occasional pesky plant or bug type away? She decided to ask.

"Why Flareons?"

He smiled. "We Umbreons can't stay awake _all_ day, you know. We're mostly nocturnal. Flareons take over the day shift, their power strengthening from the heat of the sun.

Another question popped into Lily's head. "Where is the other Espeon? I haven't seen her around."

He answered quietly as if talking too loud would gather unwanted attention. "Our leader has been ill for a long time now. She is sick with age, and not able to keep complete order of our pack. She councils her daughter, teaching her the skills necessary to become a strong and trustworthy pack leader. For the most part, Leader Neta stays in her cave, resting, or stays in the meadow to talk with her followers. She does not travel beyond the cliff these days. I feel that she won't be with us for much longer, in all honesty."

Lily had nothing to say to such a sad tale. She didn't have to stay silent for long, however.

"The night is gone," Yalon stated as the sun started to breach over the horizon. "It is time to go back to the meadow. Akila will wondering where we are before too long."

The two made their way back through the maze of tunnels, Yalon never seeming to question where he was going. Though Lily had gained partial night vision from her transformation, she was sure that the Umbreon in front of her could see perfectly clear in the dark passage. Finally, they stepped out into sunlight again. Lily yawned deeply, breathing in the fresh morning air.

"You are tired."

It wasn't a question. Lily shrugged, or at least tried to, doing the best form of a shrug possible in her tiny canine body.

"You need rest. I will find Akila and have her wait to talk until this afternoon."

Lily stifled another yawn. "No, I'm fine. Seriously!"

Yalon just laughed and continued walking, taking her once again across the still mostly empty meadow in the direction of her cave. Most Eeveelutions were still asleep at this time, though the occasional early riser was lying around in the soft grass.

Wait. Back up. _Her_ cave? No. The cave she was staying at in the present...But a dark thought surfaced. It could very well be her cave if she didn't find a way to reverse this transformation.

…...

"Are you aware that you reek horribly?" Nurul asked rudely, sick of smelling the human scent that clung to Riolu's fur. Riolu rolled his eyes and continued walking.

After trying to talk to the Sneasel, Nurul, he decided that the task was impossible. As much as he wanted to help the poor thing get away from those dog-Pokemon, he just wasn't up to such a challenge. The difficult Pokemon would not answer a single question. Instead, she spent every moment making insulting remarks to Riolu. Eventually he started to walk out of the clearing.

She moved so quickly it startled him. Nurul was standing directly in front of him in just one blink of the eye.

"What do you want with me?" he asked, annoyed. This was a waste of his time. He needed to be searching for Lily.

"Where do you think you're going? I can't let you leave after that little scuffle back there," she threatened.

"_Little _scuffle? Is that your definition of little, then?" Riolu said smugly. He probably shouldn't be insulting a dark Pokemon, at night of all times, but he was out of patients for this creature. As expected, she was furious. A low growl emitted from her black, fur covered throat. She flexed her claws, trying to intimidate the little canine.

"Look, you little mutt," she growled. "You are to tell _no one _about what you saw tonight. This is business between me and those other two mutts, so keep your nose out of it. Got it?"

"What's the matter?" he teased, not considering the consequences of his words. "Afraid that everyone will realize that you're not so big and bad anymore?"

She faltered, unsure of what to say. Wow. That really was what was going on. She simply put on a tough act!

"If you even think about it then I'll-"

Riolu huffed, then continued walking towards the probably still sleeping Patch. Nurul quickly followed.

"Where are you headed anyways? You can't be native to these parts. You don't smell like the woods."

Riolu decided to answer, hoping the Sneasel would eventually tire of him and leave. Maybe Nurul had seen Lily pass by. It was worth a shot. "I'm trying to find my friend, Lily. She's an Eevee. We got separated and the only way to find her is to find an Eon pack member. Do you know where I could find somebody to help?"

Nurul smiled, showing her viciously sharp teeth. This was too good to be true. This little mutt was her key to freedom.

"Yes...actually. You're in luck today, buddy. I know where some of the guards keep watch. I'm sure, if you explained your situation, that they would let you in their home. I bet that's where your little friend is now, as a matter of fact."

"Really?" Riolu nearly shouted, his hopes rising higher and higher. "Can you take me to them? Please, I have to find my friend quickly."

"Of course!" the sly creature said. She put an arm around the smaller Pokemon's shoulders, her claws dangerously close to his face. "Provided that I can follow you inside to the pack's home. I would like to visit an old friend, but being a wild dark type in these woods, the poor Eeveelutions don't trust me. I tell you, they are extremely picky. All I want to do is pass a message along to a buddy of mine."

Riolu didn't understand all of what she meant, like the dark type business, but surely if they had Lily, they would allow both Pokemon in to find their friends. "Yeah! That sounds like a great plan." He was happy that things were finally looking up.

"Great! So it's just the two of us then. We'll need to cross the river soon to get to the pack's grounds."

Riolu sighed. "Actually...there are three of us..."

"Three?"

"Rioooooluuuu! Where are you?" screamed a high pitched voice close by. Both Pokemon cringed.

"That's Patch. He's a little...er...I don't quite know the word for it." Nurul looked at a nearby bush as it shook. After a few moments, a small Pachirisu stepped out. Its eyes widened as it quickly analyzed the situation. Patch sped over to tackle Riolu in a hug, knocking all three Pokemon to the ground.

"There you are! I woke up and you were gone, so I decided to go look for you, but then I heard voices so I came this way, but I still couldn't find you so I screamed your name, then the wind blew and I smelled you and her!" at this point Patch pointed at the Sneasel on the ground next to them. "So then I decided you might be in trouble but apparently you're not!" There was a pause before the squirrel seemed to remember his manners. "Hi, what's your name? I'm Patch! Do you like apples?"

"Apples?" Riolu questioned. He just now realized that the sun was up, and he was very much hungry for breakfast.

"Huh? Oh yeah! Apples! I went across the river because I saw an apple tree and I got hungry so I climbed up and ate one, but there was a nasty little Pidgey nesting there that put up a good fight, let me tell you, so I-"

Riolu decided to stop his chatter. "Patch, where did you cross the river?"

The electric type brightened up and pointed in the direction he came from. "Right over there, of course! Just past these trees. There are some rocks that I hopped across on. I like rocks. But I don't see why anyone would want rocks in a river. They get all wet and slippery and-" Riolu covered the little squirrel's mouth before he could start up again.

"So," the fighting Pokemon said. "Looks like it's time to get on the other side of that river now! ...Nurul?"

Nurul's eyes were wide as she stared at the hyper little rodent. She hadn't muttered a single word the entire time, though it was unlikely that she could have anyways with the speed at which Patch was talking.

"What in the name of Mew have I gotten myself into?" she muttered.

…...

**I would just like to thank all of you who review. I don't write for reviews, I write for me, but I do love to hear that someone else is enjoying my work. Also, yes, I do realize Eevee is waaaaaay overdone, as some of you have mentioned to me. Too bad. It's my favorite, I had plans with all the types, and it had to be an Eevee to talk about all the DNA structure and evolution and jazz. **

**Teaser: Although the transformation into an Eevee was a lab accident, and a scientific action, the key to turning back is not. It has to do with the story title. Figure it out If you can, review your ideas. I'm curious to see what you guys are thinking at this point. (:**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu

Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon

Nurul – Sneasel  
Oran – Houndoom  
Keir – ?


	7. You're In My Brain

**Chapter Seven: You're In My Brain**

"Could you _please_ shut up!" Nurul growled loudly. She had been doing that a lot lately. The hyper, electric rodent was getting on her very last nerve. Riolu gave the Sneasel a stern look.

"Nurul, Lighten up. Patch isn't trying to be a bother..."

"I'm a _dark_ Pokemon. I don't lighten up," she sarcastically replied, "And he's doing a wonderful job of annoying me for not trying."

The little blue Pokemon sighed and continued walking forward. Besides taking a small break for breakfast, the trio had been traveling all morning. They had found the river quite easily, and were now following it in hopes of crossing soon. Patch swore that the place he crossed was around their current area. Riolu was sure that they had went the wrong direction to begin with. Nurul was sure that she was sick of their company.

"Right there!" said the electric rodent. He pointed at the river a ways ahead of the group, and sure enough, there were the rocks Patch had told the other two about. Three fair sized boulders sat in the middle of the river, a swift current gliding past them from below. Any small and agile Pokemon could manage to get across quite easily.

"Well, shall we go?" Riolu said to his two partners. Patch's reply was running forward to the rocks. Nurul simply muttered something unintelligible under her breath. Upon reaching the crossing, Riolu started having doubts. The rocks were not as big as they had appeared to be from farther away, though still decent sized for the three smallish Pokemon. The only problem was the water. The rocks appeared slippery. If any one of the Pokemon were to fall, it would be near impossible to swim in such a current.

"Guys...do you think that maybe we should try to find a different crossing?" Riolu asked wearily.

"Are you kidding? What's wrong with right here?" Nurul scoffed,

"It just looks slippery is all," Riolu said, defending his reasoning.

Ignoring the two bickering Pokemon, Patch ran straight for the crossing. Noticing his absence, Riolu chased after him, followed by Nurul. Patch ran across at full speed, not pausing or slipping on the rocks as he went. Riolu looked back at Nurul.

"Ladies first," he said with a sheepish smile. Nurul simply rolled her eyes and hopped onto the first rock, then the next. Riolu jumped quickly behind her. The dark type turned to look at Riolu.

"You really shouldn't bother trying to be nice to-"

Her eyes were wide as she stopped talking. Riolu was no longer behind her.

"Holy Mew. Where did he – Riolu?"

The little fox in question was clinging to fallen tree just twenty feet down the current. The tree was still attached by its roots on the soil, though the trunk was hanging over the waters edge dangerously. The branch Riolu was clinging to was most definitely dead and rotting. With the added weight of Riolu, it was not a good situation. Nurul acted quickly without thinking. Jumping towards the shore, she thoughtlessly cleared all of the remaining rocks that made up the makeshift bridge over the stream. It took no time at all to make it to the uprooted tree base.

She made quick work of running down the length of the falled tree trunk. Then came the first problem. The branch that Riolu was still holding on for dear life was not very thick at all. And a Riolu was much smaller and lighter than a Sneasel. Despite the risk, Nurul lay on her stomach and edged her way towards her fellow traveler. When she got the farthest point she thought the branch would hold with her added weight, she stopped and help out one of her black paws.

"I can't reach!" Riolu shouted over the rushing water and complaining creeks of the dead tree.

Scooting out a little further, Nurul tried again. Then she heard a loud _snap_. At the same time, she dug her hind claws into what was left of the remaining wood. With her front paws she grabbed the branch with Riolu. Feeling a set of tiny paws on her ankles, she assumed Patch had come to help as well. As it was, part of the branch had snapped off. Nurul was now attatched to the trunk with her hind legs and with Patch's help, and holding onto the branch that Riolu was holding onto for dear life. Riolu still held tight onto the limb, though he was half submerged in the water at this point.

"Climb up!"

Riolu started his way up the dead limb, the fast moving water making it twice as hard as it should be. Finally, he was close enough to grab onto the Sneasel's outstretched arms. Patch pulled and Nurul used all of her remaining strength to pull back onto the trunk. They made it! All three Pokemon sat and gasped for breath, still sitting over the water on the tree trunk. Riolu and Nurul's eyes met for a brief second. Riolu smiled.

"Thanks."

Nurul gave him a confused look. Thanks? She hadn't been given any thanks for a long, long time. Wait. Why did she do that in the first place? He was just some pokemon she had just met a few hours ago! What did his life matter to her? But for whatever reason...she felt good about it.

No! How weak of her to think in such a way! The only Pokemon she should want to keep close were her enemies. Friends were a weakness. Friends were of no use to a dark creature who preferred to work solo. She only needed him to get to the Eevees. Then she could return to those two blasted dogs and free her life of them. That was all. Nothing more and nothing less. Riolu was simply the key to her freedom.

Or so she kept telling herself.

…...

Lily yawned loudly as she awoke. Light still shone through the cave entrance, telling her that it was probably about time to find the others and talk to Akila. The sooner the better.

"You didn't sleep long," said a familiar voice.

"Jet?" she asked, turning around towards the back of the cave. The water fox gave her a toothy grin.

"The one and only, my dear! Of course it's me!"

Lily stood up to stretch. It felt like she had been asleep for days! She felt totally and completely rested. Pokemon did tend to heal faster than humans when wounded, she considered. Maybe they needed less rest as well to feel completely refreshed.

"So what are you doing here? And where is Yalon? Is it time for us to go see Akila yet?"

"Woah, slow down there, kid. One question at a time," he replied, not answering any of her questions thus far. Lily scowled at the nickname. Kid? She must be nearly as old as Jet himself, if not older. Jet could tell she was annoyed at the use of his name calling, and smiled once again.

"To answer your questions, I'm here to take you to Yalon and Akila. I believe that covers them all."

Lily began to feel nervous. But no, this was necessary. There was no other option if she wanted to stay in this secure home until she could return to her human self. Plus she needed a way TO return to being human. There were no other options.

"Shall we go?" Jet asked after a moment.

Jet lead the way out of the cave. Lily followed close behind. Looking around, she saw everything as it had been the day before. It was a beautiful day and all the eeveelutions were out to enjoy the sunshine. Was it ever less than perfect here? No wonder they all stayed together like this. She would, too...if she weren't human, anyways. She sighed inwardly, wishing she could enjoy the peace and relaxation that every other creature on the cliff top was enjoying. Lily decided to see what information she could get out of Jet while they were traveling.

"So...how many of you are there living here?"

Jet looked down at the brown fox. "I would say in the hundreds, for sure. We've been steadily growing for years now. With the Umbreon around, hardly any deaths take place by other packs. And we really don't have to worry about being hunted, seeing as we are the primary hunters in the forest. Besides the humans, that is. But it's not like they could find a place like this!" he laughed.

Lily was silent, not knowing what to say. Jet was completely right. They were safe here. This place was so well hidden that no human could ever find it. In fact, the entire cliff and waterfall area was likely completely uncontaminated by humans. Next question. "How did you become a Vaporeon? I don't see any water stones around."

Jet looked shocked. "Water stones? Don't you know anything about your own kind? You act like a newborn."

"Hey!" Lily growled, hurt, not expecting a response like that.

"Take it easy, Lily. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just saying...that's common knowledge for our kind."

She sighed. "Sorry. I've never been around any of my own kind. But how does it work?"

"Well, with Eevees – oh, we're here. I'll have to tell you later, okay? You've got more important things to do right now." Looking up, Lily realized that they were indeed at Akila's slightly-larger-than-normal cave.

"Am I going alone or are you coming?" she asked the Vaporeon.

"Oh no, just you. This is none of my business. Yalon made it clear that it was only to be you, himself, Akila, and leader Neta." Jet must have noticed how fidgity Lily was being. "Chill out, kid. Neta's not some high and mighty ruling queen or anything. Just show your respect to her and things will be fine. Now go. You don't want to keep them waiting." Jet nudged her side and she stumbled forward a little. Catching her footing, she kept walking into the cave.

"Hello? Yalon? Akila? Anyone here?" she called, the cave being too dark to see properly. Suddenly two piercing red eyes were inches from her face, frightening her quite a bit for a moment.

"I see you've made it in one piece, little one." It was Yalon. And he had called her little again! Was there not anything she could do to rid herself of that name? She wasn't exactly a child or anything. Almost a legal adult, by her standards!

"Come," he stated simply. With that, he lit the cave dimly with the glowing yellow rings that covered his body. Lily followed him closely. After walking deeper into the cave for a few minutes, she could see a light at the end of the passage. Stepping out into daylight, she saw that they were once again on a small ledge hanging out from the edge of the cliff. This one was slightly larger than the one she and Yalon had visited the night before. All that was on this ledge was a large flat stone. Upon the stone were two Espeons.

"Leader Neta, Miss Akila," Yalon said in greeting. He bowed his head lightly. Lily followed suit. "I have brought you the new comer, Lily, for you to hear her story." The two lilac colored creatures turned around. Akila had a look of annoyance on her face, probably from Yalon treating her so proper. However, Neta looked pleased with Yalon. Lily saw that the old creature seemed very ill indeed. But when Lily looked into her deep eyes, she saw only wisdom and understanding.

"Hello, Lily. This is my mother, Neta. Mother, this is Lily. The one I spoke to you about before?" Akila said pleasantly. Neta did not speak, but continued to stare at Lily. She smiled down at the little Eevee curiously but kindly.

"Shall we start?" Akila asked her mate.

Turning towards Yalon, Lily whispered, "Do I have to retell my entire story?" It was hard enough to tell the confusing mess to Yalon, let alone two others.

Yalon laughed gently. "No, Lily. Espeons are psychic, as you well know. They can simply see whatever you see in your mind, telepathically. Whenever you're ready, just close your eyes and think. Do not be afraid. They are gentle and will not explore deeper than you wish for them to go. Just concentrate on the talk we had last night. That's all you must do."

This was odd to Lily. She had never communicated in any way but speaking verbally. Closing her eyes though, she sensed immediately another presence, or possibly two, searching her mind. She instantly pulled back, not prepared for such a feeling.

"Lily, relax. You can trust them," she heard from her side. It was Yalon again.

Taking a deep breath, she once again concentrated on her story. Her grandfather, Riolu, and that horrid machine. Then the night creature that tried to attack her that night in the woods, and spending the night alone and wet after losing Riolu. Then when she met Jet, and what an odd creature he seemed to be, along with Roan and Sindri. It continued like this, past the talk with Yalon the previous night, all the way up until this very moment, her sitting there while two Espeons probed her mind.

Her eyes still closed tight, she heard Yalon say, "Lily you can open your eyes now. They are done."

"That's it?" she asked, truly surprised. That didn't take long at all!

Akila laughed sweetly. "Yes, silly Eevee. You could have done that on the first day you were here!"

Neta took the time to speak after Akila. "Interesting. A very odd situation, and one unheard of by myself."

Lily's head shot up towards the elderly Pokemon as she spoke. Her voice was almost identical to Akila's, yet slightly more calm and tranquil, and less bouncy. The main similarity was the truth and kindness behind each word spoken.

Looking down at Lily, Yalon asked, "Can you help this human then, Neta?"

Neta stared down at the young kit as well. "No. I can do nothing."

"What? This – this is awful! How am I going to – and where will I – What am I suppose to do now?" Lily was on the verge of tears. She hadn't realized how much faith she had put in one single Espeon that she hadn't even met yet. This was what happened when you let your hopes sore above reality, she supposed.

"I can do nothing," The sick old Espeon repeated, "but there are ways..."

"Really?" Lily asked, hopeful again.

"How?" Yalon wondered aloud. Lily was glad that he was just as clueless as she, for once.

Akila answered both of them. "For one, you could try going back to the same machine that changed you in the first place. I do not know much about your human ways, but it would seem that it would be a risky chance, and you would not be able to enlist the help of any humans, as they cannot understand you any longer."

"Another way," Neta continued, "Would be to find a stronger Pokemon than my daughter and myself. We are simple psychics. There are much more advanced Pokemon out in the world. The problem is, they are hard to find."

"And _if _you do find them, who knows if they will be willing to help you," Akila finished.

"So...which Pokemon should I find?" Lily asked. This didn't sound very likely to her. Were they talking about legendaries? Few people had ever seen a legendary type before, and those who had were chosen specifically by the legendary Pokemon themselves, usually to help a worldwide cause, not a personal one. Maybe they were common sights out here in the wild, though it didn't sound like it from the conversation thus far.

"The Wishing Star would be the most effective way to change you back into your true form. The problem is it will be years and years from now when he makes his journey to Earth again," spoke Neta. Jirachi, Lily realized. She briefly thought back to last night, looking at the stars with Yalon. Jirachi was one of the most well known legendarily, with nursery rhymes and story books based all around it, though some were doubtful of its actual resistance.

"Okay, so that one is out of the question. I can't stay a Pokemon that long, let alone even live that long."

Yalon spoke up at this point. "Mew would be able to help, however, there is only one as far as anyone knows, and she has been fleeing and in hiding from humans for many years. Mew used to make herself known to the wild Pokemon of the Earth. No one has heard from her in years, in these parts." Lily sighed. Two down. On the bright side, if she ever turned human again then she would know much more about these legendary Pokemon than any researcher she had heard of.

"There's also Arceus, the creator himself. It is extremely unlikely that any of us will ever be graced by his presence, however," Akila reported. The list went on. And each time, the said Pokemon was rejected for one reason or another.

"So basically I'm a lost cause?" Lily asked, already have given up on the legendaries.

"There is one other," Neta mumbled. "The Pokemon is not as well known in these parts. The name escapes me...but I do know someone who could point you in the right direction." Finally! This conversation was getting somewhere now. "They are our brothers, the ones who know of this Pokemon, though they choose not to spread themselves over the world like the rest of us eeveelutions. They go by the name Leafeon."

Lily recognized the name instantly. "Leafeon? That's the grass evolution of Eevee." Lily rememberd her grandfather very recently telling her all about the Leafeon, and that little was known about them yet. They had yet to figure out how they suddenly appeared, or where in the wild they were comin from. "You know where they live?"

Neta nodded. "Yes, they dwell in Eterna Forest. That is the only location in all of the world that you will find them. You must search deep into the forest if you wish to speak with them, and even then they will only show themselves if they deem you worthy of their presence. It is the one reason we do not socialize together. The leaf and ice forms do not include themselves in our combined packs. They prefer to stay where they fit in the best, instead of having large families of different element types so as to protect and cover each other's weaknesses."

"Eterna Forest...There's no way I could make it through on my own," Lily said sadly, her ears drooping lower. It was days away. She would have to go through two or three different towns, if she remembered correctly. And taking the woods wasn't an option for her, as she was probably safer away from wild creatures.

Neta looked down at her. "Do you think I would send a young Eevee such as yourself out on her own? I am a mother, you know," she paused to glance lovingly at her daughter next to her. "You don't have to worry about a thing. That is what this pack is about – helping one another in the dark times."

Yalon smiled reassuringly down at Lily. Neta was quiet for a few moments, thinking deeply. Lily wondered why on earth a pack would trust someone they had just met, enough to risk their lives in protecting and helping her. It just didn't make sense. But of course, she was a human, and many times, it was hard to understand the ways of Pokemon. They had lived side by side for thousands of years, and humans had only just recently truly started discovering the mystery of the various creatures.

"Yalon," Neta spoke finally. "You are in charge of getting together a group to train and accompany Lily to Eterna Forest. You will depart when you see it fit to do so. Understood?"

Yalon grinned, his rings glowing brightly. "I would be honored."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, Akila and I need to – " she was interrupted as she went into a coughing fit. Akila jumped to her aid immediately.

"I'm fine, my daughter," she said after a moment, obviously holding back more coughs as she spoke. "Please leave me, now. I need to rest. Oh, and Lily?" Yalon and Lily quickly stood to leave the family alone. It seemed Neta's end was closer than previously assumed.

"Yes, Neta?" Lily questioned, turning back around before leaving. The elder Pokemon smiled down at the younger Eevee. For the first time, Lily realized how incredibly worn the Espeon really looked. Her lilac fur was dull, no longer holding a youthful sheen, and her ears and tail drooped down, as if she had little energy to spare in lifting them. The Espeon's eyes were the only part of her that still held any life at all.

"Be careful, little one. I trust that you will make all the right choices." With that said, she closed her eyes and lay down on the rock slowly. She no longer needed the breathe of air. With her wisdom passed on to the one whom she felt needed it most, Neta felt her time of living was complete.

…...

**Poor Neta stared in just one chapter! Oh well. She served her purpose. Haha, I'm so mean. Anyways, thanks again for all your reviews, and sorry for the delay.**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu

Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon  
Neta -Espeon

Nurul – Sneasel  
Oran – Houndoom  
Keir – ?


	8. Whispers In The Dark

**Chapter Eight: Whispers In The Dark  
**

It had been an eventful day. And a sad one at that, but fortunately Lily had learned much of what she needed to know to become human again. After the talk and Neta's sudden death, Yalon quickly escorted Lily back to the cave entrance, where Jet was waiting for her. Yalon explained to Jet in a fast, hushed tone what had happened with Neta, leaving out the parts about Lily being human at Lily's request. Only Akila and Yalon knew about that bit of information. Then Yalon left to comfort his mate, the new leader of the pack, Akila.

Did this make Yalon the second in line for pack leader? He _was_ Akila's mate. She wasn't sure how Pokemon treated these matters. Snapping out of her thoughts, she realized that she and Jet had finally reached 'her' cave. Jet looked at her sadly, but with curious eyes.

"Lily...are you okay?"

Lily nodded quietly. Oddly, she wasn't too upset about Neta's death. Of course there was the fact that she hardly knew the Espeon, but it seemed to Lily that Neta was ready to leave. She had lead a prosperous life and was just done. Plus, Lily had too much to think about as it was. Her biggest concern was Riolu. Where was he? He's such a young, tiny Pokemon...she feared for him in the wild.

"What's bothering ya, kid?"

Lily lay down on her belly, resting her chin on her front paws before answering Jet. "It's my friend, Riolu. I haven't heard from him since the day before you found me. I just hope he's alright..."

Jet nodded in understanding. He sat down next to her. "How about I talk to Yalon and see if we can't get a team out looking for them? I bet we could find him. The guards know the woods like the pack of their own paws."

"That would be nice. I just want to know that he's safe." Lily smiled at the blue Pokemon.

"I'm sure he's just fine," Jet said. "Now get some sleep. You'll need it for tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, Akila and Yalon will speak to the pack tonight before sunset. You know...about Neta," he drifted off. Of course. The pack didn't know anything about what had happened just yet. So this meant that Akila and Yalon would lead the pack together. Lily was still amazed about all she had learned thus far, though this was a much bigger adventure than what she had bargained for.

"Well, I'll see you this evening. I'll stop by before the meeting to get you, okay?" Jet said.

"Sounds good. See you then, Jet," Lily replied. Jet turned to leave. "Jet?" Lily called out.

The Vaporeon turned around. "Yeah, Lily?" Lily looked down at the ground. She opened her mouth to speak, but shut it again, deciding against it. Jet observed her, waiting. "You still okay?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I just wanted to say thanks...for everything. You don't even know me and you're being so kind." Jet just smiled and continued on his way. Lily decided to take his advice and try to sleep. She closed her eyes. Thoughts flew randomly inside her head. Riolu, Neta, getting out of this body, and what about her family? Her grandfather? Was he back yet from his trip? It had been about two days now, if she remembered correctly. Was he looking for her?

Before she knew it, she was out cold. What seemed like only minutes later, Jet was nudging her side.

"Lily, it's time for the meeting. Come on, wake up!" She yawned widely and blinked the sleep from her eyes. "Let's go, sleepy head. Time's wasting. Everyone is already gathered in the meadow." Still not being conscious enough to reply, she stood up to follow. Jet lead her to the center of the meadow, where she was instantly entranced at of the sight before her.

There were, in fact, hundreds of Eeveelutions standing in a crowd before her. Surprisingly to her, there were many Umbreon among the group, looking out of place in her mind. There was still light out, though the sun was starting to set. She had always guessed they avoided the sun, Yalon being an odd exception. The others were mostly the three element forms. There were very few adult Eevees, and plenty of pups running around.

"Come on. Up to the front," Jet urged.

The duo cut through the crowd swiftly, making their way to the center of the mass of Pokemon. The pack was gathered around a large tree that appeared to be in the center of the meadow. There, Yalon stood beside Akila, waiting for Lily, it seemed. When the two approached, he spoke to Lily.

"Lily," he greeted. "I will need to speak to you and a few others after the meeting. You included, Jet."

"Me?" Jet wondered aloud. Yalon didn't explain. Instead Akila started talking to the crowd.

"Friends," she spoke loud enough for those in the back to hear. "I have called you here today for many reasons. Most importantly, as some of you may have already heard, Neta, my mother and our leader, has passed on." There were a few sobs and gasps audible to Lily as the Espeon paused for a moment.. Taking a glance at Akila, Lily could tell the poor Espeon was devastated, but standing strong for her family in front of her. "She passed peacefully, and lead a good life. We need not mourn for her, for though it may be a loss to us, my mother is at peace now." At this point, Yalon took the time to lovingly lick his mate's cheek in reassurance. She smiled at him, as it was not his turn to talk.

"The next reason we are gathered is to discuss the growing population of our enemies in the forest. If the outsiders find out about Neta passing on, they may try something. Our forces will be weak for a time because of the changes. More defenses need to be set up. We are in desperate need for more guards throughout the grounds at night. Though our Umbreon defenses work well, there are few of them, and many enemies. This is why we will now need every young Eevee to start attack and defense training immediately."

The crowd instantly reveled their disagreement, mostly mothers with their young. A female Eevee stepped forward. "Why should our cubs have to learn about war this early in life? There's no threat to them! The adults should be out there helping, not our young!" The crowd once again roared in agreement. Yalon waited for silence before he attempted to speak again.

"I agree," he said. "Adults should be out helping. And they are. But even then, we are outnumbered. If there was a break in the defense, would we be confident that our young would be able to defend themselves?" There were a few murmurs in the crowd as he paused.

"We need to be one step ahead of our enemies. Most of this year's young know what they want to evolve into at this point in their life. We will be dividing into element groups. Jet, Sindri, and Roan will be our instructors for water, electric, and fire. I will tutor another group, made up of the undecided or of those who choose darkness or light. Any Eevee, young or old, is welcome to join in. Evolution has never been a necessity in this pack, so do not fear that you or your kits will be forced to make a choice."

Did this include her, Lily wondered? She was a member of the pack now, and she wasn't exactly an adult Eevee just yet, judging by the size of this body. Who's group would she be with? The thought that she could evolve hadn't even occurred to her yet. Imagine the chance to know what a Pokemon went through during evolution! More breakthroughs for humanity!

Yalon and Akila talked a little while longer to the group about the trainings starting tomorrow morning, then the meeting was over. Many Pokemon left immediately. Others hung around to chat with their fellows. Lily decided to ask Jet some more questions before he had to leave to talk to Yalon.

"Jet, why does Yalon need to see you three specifically?"

"I dunno, kid. We're all part of the guards of our territory."

"So you guys are pretty experienced in battling then? I know Sindri must be from his attitude earlier..."

"Yeah, Roan and I get along just fine, but Sindri...he thinks he's some high and mighty Pokemon sometimes. Someone needs to bring him down a few notches is what I think. But I'm only a water Pokemon so no luck of me being the one to do it," he laughed lightly.

Lily nodded. Yeah, she'd noticed. The electric type had a short temper and no respect for others in her opinion. She would do best to stay out of his way from now on. Battling was not something she wanted to have a go at.

"Hey, Jet!" Roan greeted when he walked up to the two. "And Lily. How have you been? Do you like it here?"

"It's great! And I've been okay."

They continued with small talk until Akila, Yalon, and Sindri approached them.

"Lily, may I speak with you for a moment?" Akila asked.

Lily nodded and followed her away from the group.

"What is it?" Lily questioned. "Is something wrong?"

Akila sat down in front of the Eevee. "No, nothing is wrong. I just need to ask you something."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Well," the psychic started, "If we follow my mother's advice and search out our brothers in Eterna Forest, it will not be a simple task. There are miles and miles between our pack and theirs. It will require strong leaders to travel that distance, and guards for you." Lily huffed, her pride wounded by the accusation of her being weak and defenseless, even though both were true.

Akila smiled. "You and I both are aware that you aren't comfortable in this body yet. It will take much training. Which is why you will be participating in the training for young Eevee for the next week or two." Lily's eyes went wide with the news.

"Two weeks? I can't stay in this body for that long! I have a family! And what about Riolu? He needs me and I have no idea where he is!"

"I have sent some of our guards out to look for your friend. I'm sure they'll return with him within the next day or so," she replied. "And a week or two is nothing compared to how long you need to be training for! Our soldiers and guards spend years training. We'll have to use the little time we have to teach you everything you need to know."

Lily had to admit that Akila was right. She should know. As an assistant to one of the greatest Pokemon researchers in today's world, she knew how long it took to level up Pokemon. She had studied battles and stats since she could understand what they were, her grandfather had made sure of that. They would be lucky to cram even a fraction of a grown Pokemon's knowledge into her in two weeks!

"Another thing," Akila said, hesitating. "I believe our three newly appointed trainers should be made aware of your...situation. They are our strongest guards, and it would benefit you greatly if they knew a little bit of your history." Lily nodded. That was understandable. "Also, I believe they are the most likely candidates to take you to Eterna Forest.

"That's fine. Who?" she asked.

Akila looked over to the group of males. Yalon and Sindri were sitting quietly, waiting, while Jet and Roan tackled each other playfully.

"Some or all of them. I would come, but I have a pack to lead, as I'm sure you understand. Especially with my mother's death. My pack needs me here." Lily groaned. Yalon, Jet, and Roan she could handle. But Sindri? Ugh. She hoped plans involving Sindri changed.

"That's all, I believe. Now would be the best time to talk with them," Akila stated, turning towards the others. Lily followed reluctantly. What would she say? That she was a human and expected them to take her on a dangerous journey so that she could stop being an Eevee? Even if they believed her and didn't just assume she was crazy, what reason did they have to agree to anything she said?

…...

Riolu sat down beneath an enormous pine tree, enjoying the shade and the soft needles.

"I can't believe we haven't seen one pack member yet! On any other day, the forest is filled with them," Nurul mumbled, more to herself than to anyone else. Riolu sighed. If they could just find one eeveelution then he could surely find out where Lily was! Patch and Nurul both seemed to act like they were all around the forest, yet not a single one had been spotted.

"Are you sure we're in the right part of the forest?" he asked the other two Pokemon. Nurul only mumbled something about knowing what she was doing.

"Yes, I'm positive. But it's going to be dark soon. We shouldn't stay here for much longer," Patch whimpered. Apparently he wasn't so hyper when he was nervous or scared, because his last comment was probably the slowest thing the squirrel had said since Riolu had known him. Riolu nodded in agreement about it getting dark, though. Nurul only scoffed at the two.

"Are you forgetting that I'm a dark type?" she asked, seemingly offended. "We'll be fine."

"Dark type or not," Riolu continued, unconvinced, "It's not safe for me and Patch. We should take shifts during the night to look out for each other, just in case. I can go first, Nurul, you can go second, and Patch can go last. Sound good?" Nurul mumbled a 'fine' and Patch simply yawned before curling up into a ball. It seemed being hyper all day had its down sides.

Riolu stood for a good hour or so. After a while, he decided to sit. His legs were weary from all the walking they had done today, not to mention the unwanted swimming lesson at the river. He yawned widely.

"I'll just...close my eyes...for one minute..." he said drowsily to himself.

A few minutes later his eyes snapped open. Looking around, he saw Patch and Nurul sleeping by the base of a pine tree. Nothing else was in view, but he was sure he had heard something a moment ago. Standing up, he took another look around their little camping area. He froze stiff as he saw two pairs of blood red eyes staring at him from the shadows. His mind went blank. Should he call for Nurul? Or ask who it was? His mind was racing, but his body refused to budge.

"W-who's there?" he finally stuttered.

The two pairs of eyes exchanged glances, then one of them spoke. "It is not important who we are. What do you call yourself, young one?"

"Riolu," he answered, still frozen with fear. Suddenly the two creatures were gone.

"Huh?" he asked himself quietly. "Where did the go?"

"We have been asked to find you, friend of Lily," said a voice right next to him. He turned quickly around to see two sleek, black and yellow furred creatures next to him. They were both waiting for his reply, it appeared.

"You...know where Lily is?" he asked, smiling.

The larger Umbreon nodded. "Yes, she is with our pack. Our leader has asked for us to find you. Lily has been worried for you." Riolu couldn't help the large, toothy grin that covered his face. She was safe! Soon they could be back home like normal and out of these terrible woods!

"Nurul, Patch! Wake up!"

The two sleeping Pokemon had miraculously slept through the previous few minute, likely due to the stealth of the two dark fox Pokemon in front of him. As soon as Nurul's eyes opened, she was instantly on her feet, claws bared. The two Umbreon quickly responded by crouching down to an attack position, growling. Riolu jumped between them, facing Nurul.

"Calm down! They're gonna take us to the pack. Lily is there!" Nurul gave the two Eons another long look before lowering her defenses. She felt uncomfortable doing so, but she needed them to trust her...for now. The two foxes stood up, but did not turn away from Nurul just yet.

"Is this one with you?" asked the smaller Umbreon.

"Yes, this is Nurul, and Patch is over there."

"Very well," said the other one. "The three of you will be taken to our pack. You are only welcomed for as long as our leader sees fit. Follow me."

The larger Umbreon started walking, lighting up his rings to guide the three travelers. The smaller Umbreon followed in the rear. Nurul grinned, her sharp teeth glimmering in the dim lighting. This was absolutely perfect.

…...

**Enjoy? Not so much? Let me know! **

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu

Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon

Nurul – Sneasel  
Oran – Houndoom  
Keir – ?


	9. Live Free Or Let Me Die

**Chapter Nine: Live Free Or Let Me Die**

Lily decided to cut to the chase and not waste all of their time. She was tired, and prolonging this conversation wouldn't help anyone. Standing before Sindri, Jet, and Roan was nerve wrecking, but she had to do it if she wanted their help to get to Eterna Forest. They needed to know why. Akila broke the ice for her.

"Lily will be going on a journey to Eterna Forest soon, and needs our help," she told them bluntly. The three stopped what they were doing and gave Akila, Yalon and Lily a questioning stare.

"Why?" Roan asked. Lily took a deep breathe to collect herself.

"I'm not an Eevee," she started. "I'm a human." The three older Pokemon stared at her disbelievingly, probably wondering if this was some sort of joke.

"You're...a human?" Jet asked, confused.

Lily nodded. "It was all an accident. I've been stuck as an Eevee for a few days now."

"How could a human suddenly be an Eevee?" Roan questioned with disbelief clear in his voice. "It's just not possible."

Lily thought back to the experiment, explaining it in the most simple way possible so as to not confused the others with human terms and inventions. "I was helping my grandfather with a human invention. He left and it malfunctioned, I guess. I don't know how it happened, really. I just remember a bunch of pain, then I passed out. When I woke up I was an Eevee."

Jet and Roan looked at Akila to confirm their beliefs. Akila nodded sadly at them. "I'm afraid it's true, boys. And that is why we're asking for your help to take Lily to Eterna Forest. The Leafeon may know a Pokemon who can change her back and fix this mess."

Sindri laughed bitterly. "If what she says is true, if she is somehow a human, then forget it. I don't trust her kind. I am _not_ going to help a human just so it can turn around and imprison me, holding me against my will, forcing me to battle. Her kind do not deserve any kindness or help from a Pokemon!"

Lily's ears drooped. "I wouldn't do that!" she cried. She wasn't even a trainer, for crying out loud! The only Pokeball she owned was Riolu's, and she couldn't remember ever having to recall him into the device.

"I'm going." The whole group looked at Yalon after he spoke those two simple words. There was a short moment of silence, for what, Lily wasn't sure.

"Me too," Jet said. "Lily, you haven't done anything untrustworthy since I found you by the river. If anything, I consider you a new friend. I believe you." Lily smiled at up him. Jet was Lily's closest acquaintance here besides Yalon.

Roan spoke up after Jet. "I'll go. I really haven't gotten to know you, Lily, but If you're good enough for Yalon and Jet, then you're good enough for me." Sindri gave them all disbelieving looks. He then growled and mumbled something about them regretting their decision, before stalking a few yards away. He did not want to be a part of this little group, and he wasn't going to. The others stared after him, waiting.

"Sindri, where do you stand?" Akila called out after a long pause. The Jolteon gave Lily a look that could kill before grinning, showing his sharp canines. Lily decided right away that this was not a good thing for her, whatever the lightening Pokemon was planning.

"I'll make you a deal, runt," he growled, looking at Lily. "If you can hold a battle with me by the end of your training, I'll go and provide my help. If you lose, I stay here."

"A battle?" she nearly screamed. "I've only had this body for two and a half days! I just now feel comfortable _walking_ in it! How am I suppose to be any sort of challenge to you? Not to mention you're an electric type with an advantage. I'm just a normal type."

"Tough luck," he smiled, still showing off his sharp canines. "I guess you better get to training if you want to stand a chance." With that said, Sindri walked away laughing. Lily gave Akila a pleading look.

"I can't make him go," Akila replied to her look. "But if you fight well, he will keep to his word. You have to gain his respect, Lily. It's worth the trouble to have one more strong traveler with you."

The group stood in silence for a moment, having plenty to think about. Finally, Yalon spoke up. "It's dark. Everyone should get some rest. We all have a full day in store for us tomorrow."

Jet looked down at Lily with a smile, then walked off with Roan to wherever their respective caves were. Akila followed Yalon to their cave as well. It seemed they finally trusted Lily enough to let her walk herself to 'her' cave, now. Sighing once again, she walked away, ready to get some sleep.

…...

It was almost dawn. Riolu, Nurul, and Patch had been following the two Umbreon for hours, only stopping once for a small rest. Riolu had tried to make small talk with the dark pelted Pokemon, but they didn't seem too interested in talking at all. Oddly enough, Patch and Nurul didn't seem to mind the silence either. Of course, that could be because they were woken up in the middle of the night by two unknown Umbreon.

"I'm tired," Patch yawned, breaking the quietness. Riolu let out a deep yawn, agreeing with Patch completely. They needed rest.

"Well suck it up," Nurul stated. "I want to reach this place sometime today."

Riolu gave her a disapproving glare. "Nurul, I'm tired, too. We should stop for a while."

"We will stop for a rest once we find food," said one of the Umbreon.

"What?" Nurul asked furiously. "I don't want to sit around all day and sleep!"

The Umbreon glared back at the offending Sneasel. "We will stop to rest. The two of us have been up all night looking for you, and the entire day before. We all also need food and rest. If you don't want to abide by our rules, then leave." Nurul growled, but stayed silent.

"How long until we get there?" Patch questioned with another yawn. The larger Umbreon answered his question this time.

"We will travel all of tonight and arrive in our grounds before the sun rises."

Riolu couldn't help but smile. In less than a day he would be with Lily again! It had been two days since the accident in the lab. At first he had been horrified, both at himself and at the fact that Lily was alone in the woods. She was a mere human, not accustomed to the ways of wild Pokemon. Not that he was either, but at least he had instinct to lead him! It was a huge relief to find out that this 'Eon Pack' had taken her into their care.

Nurul, on the other hand, was getting more and more nervous by the second. She was troubled greatly that these two stupid Umbreon insisted that they keep stopping and travel all through the night. If they kept traveling right now, instead of stopping, they could be there before nightfall! She really didn't want to run around all night and have another run in with the two dark types who had basically stripped her from her dignity and freedom – Keir and Oran. Honestly, she was terrified of both of them. Oran, the Houndoom, had his fire power. Being partially an ice type Pokemon herself, this was very bad news. Other than that, he was a blundering idiot. If not for his type advantage, she could overtake him quite easily.

But Keir...he was a different story. Though he had no type advantage over her, there was just something about him that could frighten any creature that crossed paths with him. The mighty wolf Pokemon had no sense of right and wrong. He did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and if someone got in his way...well, he would make sure it never happened again. He was merciless.

"We'll stop here," said one of the Umbreon. They had stopped beside a large oran berry patch. A small stream trickled by, creating a peaceful, relaxing sound to the group of five. Riolu and Patch both decided to skip the meal and curl up next to each other, falling asleep almost instantly. One of the Umbreon lay down for a rest, while the other one stood guard.

Nurul let out a deep breath, trying to rid herself the thoughts of flame and darkness. In a few days time, she would be free. No rules, no one searching for her, hunting her down to do their evil errands. She would travel away from here, she decided. Somewhere cold, where fire Pokemon didn't dare to dwell in. There would be others of her kind and she could live peacefully along side them. These woods had toughened her, both in mind and body. Could she ever truly live in peace?

"Soon I'll be free," she said softly, watching the sun slowly creep out from the horizon.

…...

**Awe. Poor Nurul. I've grown to like her a lot. And I realize now that I've gone back and edited this chapter that it was practically pointless and ridiculously short. I tried to change and add to it as much as I could, but...meh. I won't delete it for the sake of keeping my chapters straight.**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu

Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon

Nurul – Sneasel  
Oran – Houndoom  
Keir – ?


	10. Forsaken

**Chapter Ten: Forsaken  
**

The next day at the crack of dawn, Lily was immediately greeted by Jet's arrival at her cave, just as he had promised. The two Pokemon walked to the small pond where they had a nice refreshing drink of water...or at least Lily did. After the Vaporeon had his fill of water, he decided to take it a level further and just jump into the lake, splashing water towards Lily and soaking her fur once again. It seemed that she couldn't be around this Vaporeon and water at the same time without being drenched.

After lousing around until her fur was dry, they both had some oran berries for breakfast, which Lily decided were delicious and re-energizing, and ended up at the big tree in the meadow. They had some time before all the young Eevees would arrive.

"So," Jet started. "Have you thought about which group you're going to be in? Do you want to evolve?"

Lily had thought about this. Quite a lot, actually.

"Definitely not yours," she laughed. "Too much water for me. I'm not a strong swimmer. And not Sindri's either, for obvious reasons."

Jet nodded in understanding. "So it's down to Roan or Yalon, huh?"

Lily rolled onto her back, looking up at the leaf filled branches of the enormous tree, and the cloud-filled sky beyond that. It was, yet again, a beautiful summer day. She could really get used to this if not for the fur, ears, and tail.

She finally answered, "Fire doesn't seem to fit my personality. So I guess that leaves Yalon. I'm not sure about evolving in general, though."

"Why's that?" Jet questioned. "It's so cool! Feeling your body transform and feeling so much energy...It's hard to explain in words. Especially to a...well, human. No offense." Lily found herself jealous of the experience, but still hesitant.

"I just don't want to screw up being human again in my future," she explained. "I'm scared that if I change any more, I won't be able to go back to being me, or that it won't have any lasting affects on my human body. And not to mention that evolution is forever. I don't know how an Eevee is to choose just one form! It's so permanent...What if I choose wrong and regret my choice later on?"

Jet smiled reassuringly before talking. "You know, I thought that back when I was an Eevee, too. It's a hard choice to make, and a lot of times, you don't even get to make that choice out here in the wild. I would hate to be a human-owned Eevee, though, and have my fate sealed by whichever stone my trainer could come across. That would be so horrible!"

"Yes, it would," Lily agreed. "Will you explain how this pack evolves, now? I'm really curious," she asked, sincerely interested.

"Well," Jet began, "It all starts with the right kind of training, if you're going to decide for yourself what to become. For instance, Yalon trained at night to become an Umbreon. But others, like me, decided because of their talents or likes. I loved to swim, even as an Eevee. To run out in the rain and stay there until the storm passed. That's what decided it for me." He paused to scratch behind his ear, then continued.

"But still others were not even aware that they had made their decision to evolve until they had already taken on a new form. It's a survival technique. We evolve to counter anything that the environment threatens us with. I know a Vaporeon who only evolved because she was drowning. Her body just made the change to save her life."

Lily nodded. "I think I get it. That's why we're dividing into these groups, right? Roan is going to focus on training with anything having to do with fire and heat, Sindri with electricity and speed, and you with the water terrain. You're getting the young Eevees adapted to the element of their choice?"

"Exactly," he confirmed with a smile.

"You're early," said a familiar voice. It was Roan. He gave them a smile as he sat down to join their conversation. "How many do you think we'll end up training today, Jet? I'm not even sure how many young cubs there are this year."

Jet shrugged. "I dunno. I guess we'll have to ask Yalon when he gets-"

"Hopefully not too many of those little brats shows up. I don't know how much I can take of them," interrupted yet another unfortunately familiar voice. Sindri. Lily trembled and rolled back onto her feet, feeling exposed with the Jolteon around. She subconsciously scooted closer to Jet.

"You know, you were young once, too," Roan pointed out. "And if my memory serves me right, you were quite the wild child. Never listening, always getting into trouble..."

Jet laughed. "Not much has changed, eh Roan?"

Sindri simply glared at the two offenders. Lily wondered if he was purposely ignoring her. Oh well. That would be fine with her. There was a long awkward pause until Yalon finally showed, breaking the tension in the air.

"Well it looks like we're all early. Good. Shall we discuss the plan for today?"

The plan, it turned out, was simply to wait until all of the Eevee cubs showed, have them choose a group to be with, and go over basics for the day. Lily wondered what exactly the basics were, and just how basic they actually were for a human turned Pokemon.

Twenty cubs showed up, twenty one counting Lily. When it came time to choose their groups, there were seven that went with Jet's group, five with Roan, and a surprising six that chose Sindri's group. That left two cubs and Lily for Yalon's group. Yalon sent Roan and Sindri to opposite sides of the meadow, Jet went to the upper lake – Yalon, Lily, and the two other Eevee cubs stayed right at the tree.

Yalon started the training immediately.

"The first thing we'll do is run. An Eevee's greatest strength is speed, and if we don't tone that, then nothing else will matter. Let's be straightforward here. Eevee are small creatures with weak attacks, weak defense, and no special type advantages. You need to be able to outrun anything that threatens you, or be able to attack it faster than it can attack you if you want to live."

Lily was shocked by his bluntness. Was he trying to scare them?

"Run five laps around the meadow."

Five laps? The meadow was by no means small. It was hard for her to judge what exactly the distance of one lap would be, not being used to judging distances with this body, but she guessed it was probably about a mile. One of the other cubs voiced Lily's exact thoughts.

"That will take forever!" said the female cub.

Yalon simply sat down under the tree and waited for them to start running. The cub groaned in annoyance. Lily sighed and started running her first lap, the other two quickly following her...and passing her. She was quickly out of breath by time the first lap was done, and the other two were quite a ways ahead of her. When she crossed the tree for the third time, the female cub that had complained earlier appeared next to her, on its forth lap. The cub continued to steal glances over at Lily, as if waiting for her to talk.

"Yes?" Lily growled, not really wanting to waste the precious oxygen in her body right now.

"You're slow," she stated, before running ahead again. Lily couldn't help but growl a little. The nerve of that girl! Finally, all three cubs had finished with their five laps and were panting by the tree. Yalon seemed to be looking them over for a few minutes while they rested.

"Take a break. I want you three back here when the sun reaches its highest point. Make sure to drink some water and to eat a little," he announced. Lily was still panting, and decided that she would sit still until she could breath regularly. While waiting, the two others came up to her.

"You know, if I were you," said the snobbish female Eevee, "I would work a little harder to keep up. What kind of Eevee are you? That was just pathetic." With that, she turned and left, her nose stuck in the air. The other cub was still standing before Lily.

"Well? Do you want to insult me too?" she questioned sarcastically.

"No," he said. "I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Kai. And I'm sorry about Ella. She's rather...stuck up."

Lily was grateful now that Kai had come to talk to her. "I'm Lily," she told him. "So you know her? Ella?"

Kai snorted. "Unfortunately. You must be really new around here, huh? I've never seen you around. Who are your parents?" Lily hesitated. She didn't know what to tell the rest of the pack about where she came from. That's one of the things Akila and Yalon hadn't given her advice on – a cover story.

"Er...I–"

Thankfully, Yalon came to the rescue. "Jet found Lily by the river outside of the forest. She lived with the humans, but was lost." Lily admired his way of twisting words around without directly lying.

Kai's eyes got wide at the news. "You lived with humans? What are they like? Was it scary?"

Lily laughed at his enthusiasm. "No of course not! I mean, sure, some of them are jerks, but a lot of them are really nice. Just like Ella may be a jerk, but that doesn't mean all Eevee are jerks."

Kai nodded in understanding. "Hey, do you wanna go have some berries and maybe take a swim to cool off with me?"

"Sure, that would be great," Lily decided. She had actually made a friend! How crazy was that? Even in her old life, the only friend she had was Riolu. She had never gotten along with too many people her own age. But of course, Kai wasn't her age either. She wondered for a moment what age this Eevee body was. Apparently she was still a cub. Kai looked to be at least a year old. So she must close to that in this body. Her seventeen years of human life were only equivalent to about a year to an Eevee? How long did Eevees live, exactly? And if she returned to her human body, then would she be older than she was a few days ago? What if-

"Are you coming?" Kai questioned, his tail wagging excitedly. Lily smiled at her new friend, pushing her troubles to the back of her mind for now.

"Yeah. Let's go!"

Yalon watched the two cubs run off. Lily seemed to be fitting in more and more as time passed, but there was still so much that she didn't know. He had watched the three cubs run, and Lily was obviously the weakest of the three. She didn't have near as much speed and stamina as Ella or Kai, and she even appeared to be older than them. He hoped she would improve quickly these next two weeks, or the journey they were taking would be a lot harder than he originally thought it would be.

"Sir," said a Jolteon, interrupting his thoughts. "Miss Akila wishes to see you. She is at the entrance cave. She said it was urgent." Yalon nodded and the Jolteon ran off again. Yalon ran quickly to see Akila at the entrance cave, which held the tunnels that led down the cliff and to the forest. His mate was waiting for him there. When he approached her, he gently licked her cheek.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Our guards have found Lily's partner...but there were two others with him."

"Who?"

"One a Pachirisu, the other a Sneasel." Yalon held back a growl. Sneasels usually meant trouble in these woods. There were very few of them, and all of those he knew of worked for Keir and his filthy pack.

"Do we know this Sneasel? Have we interrogated it?" he finally asked.

Akila shrugged. "I have yet to talk to the guards. They are down by the waterfall now. I was waiting for you to accompany me."

"Let me go," Yalon argued. "It's not safe for you to be around anything that may be a threat. Stay here and I'll-"

"I'm going, Yalon. I'll have you and two other guards with me. I will be fine." Yalon disagreed, but didn't argue.

"Should we fetch Lily?"

"I was wondering that myself," Akila admitted. "What do you think?" Yalon pondered it over for a moment. Lily was off with Kai, on her break from training right now. But she would want to know, wouldn't she? Her friend had been her number one concern these past couple of days. But if he went to get Lily now, he would have some explaining to do to Kai, and rumors may spread.

"Let's bring them to Lily. She's occupied at the moment as it is."

With that said, they made their way down through the dark tunnels, easily finding their way to the cave leading out from behind the waterfall. They walked around the lake and approached the group of five. Yalon had his eyes trained on the Sneasel the entire way. When they stopped, the two Umbreon inclined their heads out of respect.

"Miss Akila and Yalon, we have brought you Riolu and his two companions." Yalon saw three Pokemon; a Riolu who looked extremely anxious and grateful, and Pachirisu who seemed nervous and high-strung, probably due to the fact that there were predators all around it, and a Sneasel. The Sneasel seemed to have on a poker face of nonchalance.

"State your names and your business on our grounds, please," Ordered Akila. The Riolu stepped forward first, bowing its head to show respect as it had seen the guards do.

"I am Riolu. Lily and I were separated a few days ago during the night, and I wish only to find her and take her home safely...Ma'am," He added, for good measure. "Is she doing well? Can I see her?"

Akila smiled down at him. "She is doing just fine, friend, and as for taking her home...well, we have come to a different decision regarding her unique...situation." Riolu's eyes widened in understanding. This Espeon knew of Lily's human origins. He nodded once and stepped back to allow the other two to introduce themselves. The squirrel was next. He looked around nervously again at all the canines around him.

"I'm Patch," he said quietly. "I was just helping Riolu find his friend. I live in the forest across the river."

Akila smiled again. "As long as you come in peace, then you are welcomed." She looked at the last guest. "And you?"

The Sneasel didn't budge, but said lowly, "You may call me Nurul. I'm simply traveling with Riolu."

Yalon looked to Riolu. "And you confirm their words? They are both friends of yours?"

"Yes, I've been with them for a couple of days. They've helped me get this far to find Lily. Nurul even saved my life back at the river!" Riolu confirmed. Nurul stiffened at the recollection. Yalon didn't miss the small movement. She had saved a random stranger's life? This surprised Yalon.

_Maybe you were too quick to judge, love. They are friends of Lily's, so we should trust them._

It was Akila, talking to him telepathically with her psychic abilities. He looked at her and nodded in defeat.

_Apparently so. I still have an uneasy feeling about the dark one...but yes, let's take them to Lily now, _he answered.

"Follow me," Yalon said. He and Akila led the way, and the guards followed, watching the guests closely. Nurul made sure to pay close attention to the path they took, being able to see perfectly in the dark tunnels. Were they so easily fooled? They were actually letting her inside their home! Of course she wouldn't give away her intentions right now. Not yet. But she would find out what she needed to know and escape as soon as possible. The sooner she reported back to Keir, the closer she was to her freedom.

…...

**Apologies for the late chapter, but school just started. You know how it goes. Review!**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu

Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon

Nurul – Sneasel  
Oran – Houndoom  
Keir – ?


	11. Those Nights

**Chapter Eleven: Those Nights**

The time spent with Kai was surprisingly enjoyable. Lily was sure that she would feel awkward and not know how young Pokemon played with one another, but she caught on rather quickly. After having a quick bite to eat, they took a quick dip in the lake. Kai seemed to be a good swimmer. Lily wondered if maybe he should have been in Jet's training group instead, because he, unlike Lily, could keep himself from drowning in the shallow water. Lily eventually gave up on swimming and sat on the soft sand that made up the bank of the small lake. Ella's words about being pathetic returned to haunt her.

Looking at her reflection in the water, she could see for herself that she was a mess, even for a wild animal. Currently, she wasn't the most attractive Eevee she had ever lain eyes on. Her creamy-white mane was all matted and the fur on her head was ruffled up. Her ears had fur sticking out here and there. How did Pokemon give and take baths?

Lily made a disgusted face when she realized most Pokemon used their saliva to clean their fur. How disgusting. But if that's the way Pokemon did it...Sucking up her pride, she licked the bottom of her paw, making sure to get a good amount of saliva on it. Then she did her best to reach up and smooth out the fur on top of her head, but her ears kept getting in the way.

"What are you doing?" asked Kai, watching her pathetic attempt at cleaning herself. Lily sighed loudly.

"Trying to make myself look halfway decent."

"Well...you're not doing it very well," he laughed.

"Yeah I've figured out that much," she answered, spitting out a mouthful of wet fur. She was left surprised as a stream of water washed over her, the pressure strong enough to knock her off her feet. Jet's laughing could be heard when the assaulting water stopped.

"Jet! What was that for?" she screamed, getting to her feet again.

"You're clean now! Stop complaining," he laughed. True enough, she was clean. The pressure from the water had washed away the dirt and grime in her fur.

"Oh," Jet remembered, "Yalon has a surprise for you. I'm suppose to take you there, so come on. Kai, you can come, too." Lily gave Jet a confused look, wanting more information. A surprise? What kind of surprise? Obviously the only way to find out was to go with Jet, so she and Kai followed him. She soon saw what surprise he was talking about.

"Riolu!" she shouted, shocked and overjoyed. There he was, after days of being apart, just across the meadow! She immediately started sprinting towards him. Unfortunately, she forgot that she was on four legs again instead of two and fell. Riolu covered the distance quickly and helped her up off the ground, laughing at her clumsiness. Lily glared at him in her embarrassment.

"I've missed you so much!" he shouted, tackling her in a hug. She hugged him in return with her front limbs, trying her best to balance on the back two.

"I can't believe you're here!" she replied. "Are you okay? What's happened to you since the night we got lost?"

He smiled at her. "I got some help finding you, and here I am! We can talk about that later. I'm just so happy to be with you now!" They embraced again and separated, unable to keep the smiles off of their faces. It was then that Lily noticed the other two Pokemon standing near them.

"Who are they?" she asked, looking at the Pachirisu and Sneasel, both standing a little ways off and looking anxious.

"Lily, this is Patch and Nurul," he replied. "They saved my life and helped me find you!"

Lily smiled graciously at the two. "Thank you so much. How could I ever repay you for what you've done for us?" The two didn't have a chance to reply, though, because Yalon chose that moment to interrupt the reunion.

"Lily, I'm sorry. I understand you must want to visit, but we're on a schedule if you still want to leave as soon as possible. We need to get back to training."

"Oh. Right, of course," she quickly agreed. Now that Riolu was here and safe, she could focus more on her training. Things seemed to be getting better, for a change.

"Training?" Riolu asked curiously. Lily just smiled at him and motioned for him to follow. Nurul and Patch were told to stay with a couple of guards who would show them where to stay for the remainder of the day. After parting ways with Jet, who left to meet his own group at the lake, the group of Yalon, Lily, Riolu, and Kai, headed for the tree in the center of the meadow. Lily wondered what kind of training they would do now. Hopefully not more running.

"Lily," Riolu whispered in her ear, "What training? We don't have time for this. We need to get back to the lab. Your grandfather is probably back by now anyways, and is probably worried about us. Not to mention these Pokemon may not like the fact that you're human." Lily knew he was probably right about her grandpa. Surely he was home by now, and if not, than Lily's mother would have noticed her absence right away.

"There's a new plan, Riolu. Though I'm sure he could have eventually figured out that this is me, I doubt Grandpa could have figured out how to change me back into a human. But there is a Lefeon pack in Eterna Forest that knows a Pokemon who can change me back! A legendary Pokemon! Do you know how amazing it would be to meet a real live legendary? They're such powerful creatures and if I met it then–"

"Then it probably wouldn't help an average human. And how do you think we'll even find it? They're called legendary Pokemon for a reason," interrupted Riolu.

"We just would," she snapped back. She didn't know why, but she had faith that whatever Pokemon it was would help her. The legendary Pokemon were here to help and protect others, right?

"Look," she told Riolu, "I'll explain it to you later. Just trust me, okay?"

Riolu sighed. "I trust you, Lily."

By this time, the group of four had reached the large tree in the meadow. Ella was there waiting for them, sitting in the shade and licking one of her front paws delicately. When she saw them approaching, she glared at Lily and looked up curiously at the sight of Riolu.

"Ella," started Yalon, "this is Riolu, Lily's companion. Riolu, this is Ella. And the other cub is Kai, since you weren't introduced on the way over."

Riolu smiled at both of them. Kai smiled back openly. Ella didn't bother looking up again from her grooming.

"We need to get back to training. I know you're all tired from running laps earlier, so we'll try something different. This will improve your strength and defense, and teach you how to properly attack a foe. Follow me."

The three younger Pokemon followed Yalon for a few minutes until they came to an old rotting stump. Then they watched closely as Yalon backed away from the stump, then proceeded to run and crash into the wood with his shoulder. A Tackle attack, Lily recognized. Then Yalon backed up again and did the same thing, but hit the stump with his head. That one was a Headbutt. Was this how Pokemon learned in the wild without actually fighting one another?

"Traditionally," said Yalon, unknowingly answering her question, "You would learn this on your own simply from playing with siblings or friends. But seeing as we're threatened and pushed for time, we don't have time for the traditional way. Especially you, Lily."

Lily huffed at this, but knew it was true. She was the least experienced of them all, Riolu included, when it came to fighting. Which reminded her...How was she going to even come close to defeating Sindri in a battle? She had never even used Riolu in a battle. Being the one fighting...how could she pull that off? Sindri was a strong, wild, adult Pokemon that could fry her in an instant with his electric attacks. She shuttered at the thought of being hit with even a weak thundershock.

"This is stupid. Why would we want to run into a piece of wood all day? That's not going to help at all." Of course the whiny voice belonged to no other than Ella. Yalon simply stared down at her as if challenging her to comment again. She didn't.

"You can go first, Ella."

The rotten little Eevee rolled her eyes and growled under her breath, then backed away from the stump. She feebly attempted to ram into the hunk of wood, not appearing to put much effort into it. When she was done, no damage having taken place to either her or the wood, she sat under the shade of a nearby bush and continued her previous grooming. Lily and Riolu exchanged glances, then shrugged. Ella was a hopeless cause.

"Lily, do you want to try next?"

Lily stiffened at Yalon's voice. _Her_ try? She would probably mess it up somehow. Only Lily Rowan could mess up running into a non mobile object from three feet away, in broad daylight nonetheless. She gulped audibly and nodded. It was just a stump...how much damage could it do?

…...

"Oww..."

"Sit still, Lily. You're only going to make it bruise worse," Jet fussed.

"It hurts, though!"

Her shoulder hurt. A lot. It was visibly bruised, a sickly yellowish-green color, even with the layer of brown fur covering it. It would probably be purple by the morning. She was convinced that she had cracked her bone. The first time ramming into the decaying stump wasn't so bad. It had stung a little, but overall wasn't worse than what a human would feel hitting a punching bag for the first time. But after dozens of more times hitting the wood, she was finally in a lot of pain. Most of all, she vividly remembered the last, painful blow she took to the stump. She still wasn't quite sure if it had been the stump or her shoulder that had produced the loud crack she had heard. Her shoulder had felt like it was on fire at the time. It was a little better now, but it had been so painful. How was this kind of treatment to your body suppose to help?

"Maybe I'm just too weak to do this," mumbled Lily to herself.

"No you're not, Lily!" Jet scolded. "This _will _help. You just overexerted yourself today, is all."

"You've never been in a battle or had any training, so don't be hard on yourself. I know exactly how you feel," Riolu added in. Lily only groaned in response.

Jet sighed. "Lily, you have to understand. You're a _human_, not a Pokemon...by nature, anyways. You can't perfect the skills of a wild Pokemon in just a few days."

…...

It was near dusk when Nurul had decided to sneak out. She and Patch had been placed in a cave near Lily's, and the two Umbreon guards had been replaced with two Flareon. Nurul didn't think they appeared too much of a threat, even with their type advantage. Patch was asleep, still tired from their traveling. She quietly snuck out once dark had settled, neither of the guards noticing her absence.

The Sneasel inhaled a deep breathe of the night air. She loved being a dark type. The night was so peaceful, yet thrilling at the same time, a concept readily understood by her kind, yet still a mystery to many others. The quietness, the stars and moon, the soft chirping of the bugs around her...She couldn't resist it. The night had some kind of entrancing call to her, pleading her to come and enjoy the silence and adventure. This is where she truly belonged. Except she was now stuck in some kind of crazy secluded area filled with Pokemon who hated her and her kind. Surrounded. She would love to just leave right now, and could easily do so, but knew that the second she was out of this territory, she was in great danger if she had no valuable information for Keir and his pack.

Nurul sighed quietly and looked around. Seeing a the small lake nearby, she decided to go get a quick drink, but stopped after a moment. Were those...voices? She followed the low murmurings, taking cover by staying against the dark inner wall of the great bowl-like cliff. No one, except maybe an Umbreon, could possibly see her there. She listened and followed, and eventually stopped at a cave entrance. She caught the end of someone's sentence.

"...never been in a battle or had any training, so don't be hard on yourself. I know exactly how you feel."

She knew that voice. That was Riolu. But who was he talking to? He obviously hadn't had training himself, probably having had a pathetic human trainer. Was there another human owned Pokemon among them, too? She heard a low groan, presumably from whoever the little fighting-type was talking to. Then a loud sigh. Another Pokemon spoke, a male voice.

"Lily, you have to understand. You're a _human_, not a Pokemon...by nature, anyways. You can't perfect the skills of a wild Pokemon in just a few days." Nurul's thoughts were jumbled and chaotic. Human? Not a Pokemon? What were they talking about? How was that even possible?

Instead of standing there wondering, Nurul decided to sneak a quick peek to see who these mysterious Pokemon were. She pressed herself firmly against the rock wall and quietly inched her way to the cave entrance. These Eevee types had good ears. She would have to be quiet. Lucky for her, Sneasels had excellent stealth, especially after dark.

"I know," Lily spoke again. "But you would think that being a human would give me an advantage, having researched Pokemon for like half of my life. So why am I still clueless?" Nurul peeked around the corner of the cave. It was dark, so no one noticed her, but she could see them perfectly clear. Riolu, a Vaporeon, and an Eevee. Something clicked in Nurul's brain. That Eevee, Riolu's friend...she was a human? That was insane. Surely it wasn't possible for a human to become a Pokemon.

"You'll find a way to become human again. Don't worry, Lily," the Vaporeon encouraged. "Neta told you what you needed to do before she passed on. That's why this training is so important.

"Training?" Nurul questioned aloud. Bad move. Three furry heads turned towards the cave entrance, the Vaporeon of the group immediately snapping into a battle position.

"Who's there?" Jet snarled. Riolu, too, could be heard growling, also taking on a battle ready position. Nurul didn't wait around to reply, realizing her cover was blown. She took off faster than she ever had before, knowing exactly where to go. Past the sleeping guard at the cave leading to the dark, twisting tunnels, right turn there, left here. She knew. She had played this game right, and payed attention on their way through the dark caverns. She knew she was too fast for any of them to catch her. Her plan had been too perfect. And soon, she was out, slipping off into the dark night.

…...

**And Nurul reveals her traitorous ways! Review if you love me! (:**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu

Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon

Nurul – Sneasel  
Oran – Houndoom  
Keir – ?


	12. You Take My Rights Away

**Chapter Twelve: You Take My Rights Away**

The next day, Lily woke up feeling more tired than when she had fallen asleep. Her head was throbbing in pain. Her shoulder wasn't doing much better. The bruise was still a sickly yellowish color underneath her matted fur. She was long over due for a nice long soak in the tub, if only it were possible to take a nice, hot, bubbly bath. Finally deciding she had done enough sitting around and wishful thinking, she stood up and stretched out her sore muscles. Riolu, too, was starting to stir. He yawned and curled further into his little ball of warmth. Lily sighed. Looks like she would have to wake him up herself. She walked over to him and nudged him with her paw.

"Riolu," she said softly. "Wake up." Riolu simply mumbled incoherently and put his paws over his eyes. Lily rolled her eyes. "Riolu, get up," she said more forcefully, using her paws to roll him over onto his back. "We have to go train."

"I don't wanna," he groaned, rolling back over.

"Well neither do I, but we have to. I have to get stronger. The sooner, the better. I want to go home, and eat real food, and be able to take a real bath." Finally, the little blue fox stretched and joined her. Together, they walked out to the little pond to get a drink of water. The cool liquid helped awaken them. After that, they found a Pecha tree and had some breakfast.

"Lily," Riolu said through a mouthful of berry, "What do you think Yalon is going to have you do today?"

Lily swallowed her own bite of berry before replying. "I don't know. Hopefully not what we did yesterday. I'm so sore." Riolu agreed, nodding.

"Riolu!" Lily and Riolu both looked up, trying to find the owner of the voice. Riolu smiled when he saw who it was.

"Lily, it's Patch!"

Patch was running on all fours towards Riolu and Lily. The little white squirrel had a enormous grin painted on his face. Finally he reached the two, and was very much out of breath. He stood panting for a moment before he could talk again.

"Hi! I just thought I would introduce myself since you were busy yesterday and we couldn't talk. I'm Patch! And I would love to be friends because friends are–"

"Sure," Lily cut him off, laughing. "You helped out Riolu! I owe you more that I could ever repay. A friend of Riolu's is a friend of mine." Patch smiled even wider, if possible, and tackled her in a hug. Lily and Riolu just laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Lily," said a voice. Lily looked up at the sound of her name, and saw Yalon standing there.

"Is it time for training?" she asked, praying that his answer was no. He gave her an apologetic smile, shaking his head to confirm her question. Lily held back a groan.

"Follow me," the dark type said, turning towards the tree they had met at yesterday. "Your friends are welcome to come as well." The three smaller Pokemon exchanged glances momentarily, then followed him to the tree. No one said anything while they walked, but in only a few minutes, they had arrived. There waiting for the group was Ella and Kai. Kai smiled at Lily. Ella glared at her, probably mad about her bringing Riolu and Patch along. Lily ignored Ella, walking right by her and over to Kai.

"You look sore," he said, looking at her sickly bruised shoulder. She shrugged, trying to act as if it wasn't so bad, but winced as her muscles stretched.

"I am sore," she admitted with a guilty smile. Kai laughed. Then he leaned in close, whispering in her ear, "Who are your friends? And...what are they?" he asked. Lily gave him a puzzled expression. Surely he had seen species of Pokemon outside of Eevee and it's evolutions...

"Are you serious?" she asked him. He nodded.

"I've never seen anything like them. I've only seen the little bird Pokemon and bugs that fly up here occasionally. But the elders usually chase them off." Well that made a little more sense. But it was a sad thing, knowing Kai had never left their little sanctuary.

"Well," she said, remembering to finally answer his question, "Riolu is a fighting type, and his species isn't very common." Riolu stepped forward and smiled at Kai. They had met yesterday. "Patch is a Pachurisu, an electric Pokemon," she continued. Patch waved, his tail wagging rapidly in sync with his paw. Before they could have anymore conversation, Yalon decided to start today's lesson.

"Today you will be sparring. I will pick two of you to go first, then two more."

"But there's only three of us," Ella said with a frown. Yalon gestured towards Riolu and Patch.

"What?" she shrieked, horrified. "But...You can't do that! I'm not going to fight with some strange Pokemon that just walked into our home! That's so-"

"You will," interrupted Yalon, "Or you will be running laps from now until sunset." Ella said nothing, but glared daggers at the rest of the group when Yalon turned away from her. He continued his explanation.

"As I was saying," he continued with annoyance clear in his voice, "Two at a time will battle. There will be no foul play. That means no serious injuries, and when your opponent gives, the fight is over. If there is a problem I will call the battle to an end."

Ella dared to test Yalon's nerves again, saying, "How is this a fair fight? Those two are different types of Pokemon. They have a huge advantage."

"Tell me," Yalon started. "If you were in a battle, or walking through the grounds below us, would you get to stop and choose which _type_ of Pokemon wanted to kill you? Which one was hungry? Whether it was an electric or fire type?"

None of them said a word.

"Exactly. Life isn't fair. All you can do is be prepared to handle any situation, and if you're not...improvise, or learn quickly. Real life isn't a game. No one will be there to stop the fight or choose your partner. Your life is in your own hands, and depends on your own will to survive."

Everyone was quiet for a long moment. Yalon's words had really made them think. Lily, especially, was thinking through this unexpected bit of her life. She shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be dealing with life or death situations every single day. She should be back in her tiny little town, helping her grandfather take care of the lab. Playing with Riolu. Shopping, and looking for cute boys. Training her own Pokemon, not being trained herself. Anything a normal girl her age wanted. This isn't what she wanted at all. She was snapped out of her thoughts suddenly as Yalon spoke again.

"Ella, Riolu...you're up first."

Lily looked over at Riolu. His eyes had become wide, fear showing in them. He was a terrible fighter, fighting type or not. He had close to no training. Lily encouraged him anyways.

"You can do it, Riolu. She's just a snotty little fur ball," she joked, trying to snap him out of his panic. He smiled at her.

"You realize you're a little fur ball, too, now?" She nodded foolishly, smiling with him.

"Go on," she nudged him. "You'll do fine."

He sighed and stepped forward. Yalon showed them to stand a short distance from the shade of the tree, where Lily, Patch, and Kai waited for them to begin. Lily couldn't hear what Yalon was saying to them from the distance, but he soon walked back to the other three Pokemon.

"Begin," he stated, loud enough for all of them to hear.

Riolu relaxed, his knees bent, crouched low, ready to move. Ella did the opposite, running forward as soon as Yalon had spoken. Riolu jumped to the side, missing her tackle. She tripped over her own paws trying to stop her forward motion. Riolu looked over towards Lily with a smile.

"Don't look at me!" Lily yelled. "Look at her!"

Riolu whirled around, but a second too late. Ella hadn't been down for long. She rammed him in the stomach with her head. Riolu flew back a few feet, then stood up shakily. Ella was already on him again, tackling him back to the ground. The same thing happened once more before finally, when Ella approached for another blow, Riolu did a summer salt to the side, missing her blow. She did a face plant, which gave him a second to recover from the previous blows. Lily could see him concentrating. What was he doing?

Ella charged Riolu again once she recovered, but he was ready. His paw connected with her forehead, sending her back, undoubtedly with a huge headache soon to follow. Lily smiled at the thought, then regretted it. Ella was already horrible now. What would she be like with an actual reason to be so crabby?

The battle went on for a few more minutes, Riolu and Ella seeming to be evenly matched. It looked as if Riolu might actually win for a moment. He was trying more and more fighting moves that Lily didn't even knew he knew. He ran at Ella, who was getting up from a previous fall, and jumped up, bringing his right leg up with him. He was about to connect with the surprised Eevee...when she ducked. He missed. And instead of having a nice clean landing, he fell into a hard, solid, familiar object. The stump. Lily groaned, probably about the same time that Riolu did. Ella walked over towards Riolu and the rotting stump. She stopped and smiled down at the heap of a Pokemon before her.

"Give up?" she taunted, smiling even wider. Riolu growled at her.

"You wish," he mumbled, moving to get up. He put his weight on his legs again, but crumpled back down, unable to support himself. He used the stump to pull himself into a standing position again. Ella was still smirking at him.

"Guess that means I win." Yalon, indeed, announced Ella the winner a few moments later. Lily ran over to Riolu.

"Are you okay?" He was still growling towards Ella's direction.

"Just peachy." Yalon didn't give them any more time to talk. Riolu limped over to the shade of the tree, where Kai had gathered some healing berries for Riolu as soon as the match had turned bad for him. Riolu huffed as he sat, stuffing a berry in his mouth.

"Lily and Patch, your turn."

Lily and Patch exchanged glances. Patch seemed unsure about battling. Lily seemed positively terrified. She wouldn't have minded battling Kai, Riolu, or even Ella. But Patch? She was reminded of Sindri, his fur crackling, glowing with electricity, just waiting to fry her to a crisp. She shuddered subconsciously.

The battle started just like last time, but this time she was the one walking out to the center of their battle grounds.

"I don't want to see anything too harsh. Remember that this is just practice. Don't get too out of hand. And if you feel too weak, don't push yourself. It won't help in the long run to overwork your bodies," he said, then looked at each of them in turn. "You ready?"

Lily gulped, then nodded. Patch mumbled a response as well. Yalon walked away after that, stopped near the others, and yelled out that dreaded word.

"Begin."

Patch and Lily just looked at each other dumbly for a few moments, not knowing how to start. Lily couldn't tear herself away from the energy filled cheek sacs on his face. Her breathing had become fast without her knowing, her pulse racing along side it. She roughly shook her head to clear her thoughts.

_Stop it! _she thought. _It's not that big of a deal. Just do what you learned yesterday._

With that, she made the first move, crouching down in preparation for a headbutt. Patch followed suit, his tiny body mimicking her own. But before she could run forward, Patch did, using quick attack whilst doing so. Lily didn't even have time to form a single thought before the breath was knocked out of her lungs and her face was in the dirt. She coughed once, then unsteadily stood onto her four legs. Wasn't this suppose to be a mock fight?

Patch was a real wild Pokemon though, not sheltered by these walls or a pack of other Pokemon. He had lived on his own his entire life, as far as she knew. And he had obviously gotten pretty good at it. Before she could prepare to make any kind of counter attack, Patch had hit her with another quick attack. She slammed into the ground again and growled in frustration. She prepared herself before she stood up, expecting him to come at her with another speedy attack. This time she pounced on the little squirrel, who yelped in surprise. She stood over him, growling lowly.

Her body seemed to be feeling better, probably due to her adrenaline kicking in. Even her shoulder felt a little better. Patch seemed to grow tired from her weight, his eyes drooping a little. She was still growling when she suddenly realized what she was doing. This wasn't her! Standing over a friend of a friend, growling like a maniac. She stumbled back away from her opponent, who had a confused look on his face. She felt so...energized. Was this the instincts of her new Pokemon DNA, finally kicking in?

Patch had decided to take advantage of Lily's temporary internal struggle, powering up for a small electric attack. Lily was too out of it to notice until his cheeks started sparking. She gasped, feeling foolish for not paying attention. Had this been a real fight, she would have been dead by now. She was frozen in place at the moment, though, unable to move as Patch ran towards her with his electric energy all about him.

She felt the pain, felt her fur react to the static. She smelt the singed fur, and tasted the energy in the air. Her senses were overwhelming, every nerve screaming at her as if it were on fire, before her body gave in and she passed out.

…...

"Are you positive this is what you heard, little Sneasel?"

Nurul's voice was quiet as she gave a quick affirmative to the large dog in front of her. She hated being afraid of him. If not for his pack full of fire types, she could probably take him.

The black and gray furred wolf didn't even bother looking at Nurul as it ate its meal, some type of smallish bird. Bones from other unfortunate creatures were piled up around the walls of the small burrow. Yes, a hungry Mightyena was a frightening sight, no matter who you were. He finished his meal and picked at a bone with his teeth – sharp, shiny canines. The bone cracked after a couple of crunches.

"Well then," he said, finally putting his evil eyes on her. "I do believe you have proven yourself useful for a change. The great Neta is dead. Let them train. They won't get far by the time we show up. Their young ones will be helpless, the elders not far behind them."

"Indeed, sir. And I know just how to get inside, now. If we go at night, there will be Umbreon to worry about. Flareon take their place during the day." Keir smirked, and Nurul could only imagine what evil, terrible thoughts were racing through his mind.

Keir's pack and the Eon pack had been at war for a long while. Back when there weren't very many Espeon and Umbreon around these parts, they had been on decent terms, staying out of each others ways. The dark types lived in the caves, coming out to hunt at night, and the Eons stayed out of their way, preferring the day and to stay down by the waterfall and the forest. But then came the Umbreon, who also loved to venture into the dark of the tunnels. Keir's pack allowed it to go on, simply because Umbreon was a fellow dark type.

The Umbreon, however, were more kind hearted than most dark types, and even preferred eating plants over hunting when it was possible. Eventually, the Umbreon discovered the top of the little cliff, something that Keir's pack either hadn't yet found or didn't bother to use. The Eevee took shelter upon the cliff, hiding from the ever growing trainer population searching for the rare and treasured fox. Of course, in their kind nature, the Eon pack had offered to share the grounds with their dark neighbors. The darks did not like to share, and considered them to be trespassing. Keir's father before him had started the war, killing a young Eevee that had wondered too far into the tunnels. It was something that couldn't go unpunished by the Eons.

The war had died down lately, since both Keir's father and the previous leader had long since died, but the hard feelings were still there. The longing for the dark caves that were rightfully theirs had never died down. And now Keir had everything he needed to claim them as his own.

"You're dismissed, for now."

Nurul sighed inwardly, glad that she would soon be away from this pack, but couldn't help feeling a strange new emotion. Some kind of angry, sorrowful, frustrated feeling. She frowned, though, as she realized what it was she was feeling.

Guilt.

…...

**Keir has finally been revealed as a Mightyena! Some of you already figured that out. Good for you! I'm truly proud of your knowledge of Pokemon. (: The story is progressing quite nicely, if I do say so myself. I've gotten it all plotted out at this point, but if you have anything you would like to see happen, or a specific Pokemon to make an appearance, please feel free to give suggestions in your reviews. I'm open to a little change here and there.**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu

Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon

Nurul – Sneasel  
Oran – Houndoom  
Keir – Mightyena


	13. Monster

**Chapter Thirteen: Monster  
**

It had been three days since their first sparring lesson. Yalon let the group out early the day Lily had feinted, due to everyone being so exhausted. Lily remembered him saying something about pushing them too far, too soon. Lily had sparred against Ella the next day, but with no better luck than Riolu. Ella made sure to gloat even more due to this. The little twit did lose to Kai and Patch, however, so she wasn't able to brag for too long. She of course blamed Patch's victory on his electric abilities, though it was quite entertaining to see her freak out when her fur was standing on end due to all the static.

Lily had been upset for a while, having lost her own matches against Patch and Ella. She had won against Riolu once, but was sure that he had let her win. Not to mention the fact that his leg was still tender from missing his target a few days ago when he tried to kick, so it really wasn't a fair fight to begin with. But yesterday she had won against Kai, both of them just about evenly matched, so she felt like she was improving a little, or at the very least learning how to be injured less in a battle.

One thing she found that helped her out was the fact that she could figure out problems more quickly than the others, both due to her being a human and being older than her 'peers' were. Another helpful factor was that she had been studying Pokemon for years now. She knew which attacks were which, how to avoid the attack if possible, types and advantages, among many other random bits of knowledge she picked up from being around her grandfather for so long. The only problem was adapting to her new body.

Though she still couldn't pass for a natural born Eevee, she could hold her own when she needed to. She decided that some instincts must have came with this furry canine body, or else she would have been a goner her first night as a Pokemon when she was separated from Riolu.

Lily sighed, snapping out of her jumbled thoughts. So many things going on at once had given her a headache. They still hadn't heard from Nurul in a few days, which had Riolu worried sick. Lily had not realized how much Riolu respected the Sneasel. Patch tried to encourage Riolu, humorously saying that Nurul was probably just off lurking in dark corner somewhere. Riolu laughed and agreed at the time, but was still worried. Lily sensed that Riolu felt he was in debt to Nurul for the time she saved his life at the river. Lily made a mental note to talk to Riolu about this at a later time. Now, however, it was time for another day of training.

"Riolu, get up," Lily said, having already fallen into the habit of making herself get up, then waking Riolu.

"Five more minutes," he mumbled.

"No, now. We have to go train. Yalon will make us run laps again if we're late."

"I'm still sore from yesterday, though," Riolu stated, sitting up to look at her with half closed eyes. She gave him an apologetic smile.

"Me too, but the sooner we're strong enough to find this legendary Pokemon, the sooner you can go back to being lazy at Grandpa's lab." Riolu laughed, but then had a thoughtful, almost sad look upon his face. "What's wrong?" Lily asked, confused. Riolu just shook his head, not saying anything. "Riolu, tell me. What's wrong? What did I say?" she persisted.

"Well," he started hesitantly, "It's just that once you're human again...we won't be able to talk. Not like this."

"Oh."

She was silent for a moment. How could she have not thought about that? It was so amazing, being able to talk to not only Riolu, her best friend in the world, but every Pokemon. To not only understand them, but to be able to hold a conversation with them. What would happen after this, with her and Riolu? How could she still make jokes and talk about every day life with him if his speech, to her human ears, was in a completely different language?

Riolu saved her from fumbling through a response. "Sorry...It's fine, really. We'll just have to deal with that when it comes time to, I guess." He smiled at her, but Lily could see through it.

"Let's get some breakfast," he said, walking out of their cave. Lily followed.

Like the previous days, they stopped by the pond, had some nice cool water and fresh berries, and walked to their meeting place at the tree in the meadow. Kai met up with them half way there. Patch was at the tree along side a furious Ella when the three companions arrived.

"What's her deal?" Kai mumbled while they were still out of ear shot from said furious Eevee.

As they got closer, it was very clear what was wrong. Ella's fur was sticking up in random directions, mostly due to static. Patch was giggling too much to speak.

"What happened?" Riolu dared to ask.

"She tried to scare me," Patch said between laughs. Ella just growled and continued trying to straighten out the mess that was her fur. Yalon arrived right on time a few minutes later.

"Good morning, young ones," he greeted, but went straight to business. "Today will be slightly different that what you're used to. We will actually be pairing up with the other groups to try some new techniques out, and hopefully you will pick up quickly."

The other groups? There were three other groups total, Lily recalled. Sindri, Roan, and Jet each led one. Lily smiled at the thought of working with Jet. She hadn't talked to him for a few days now. She didn't really know Roan too well, but wouldn't mind seeing him again either. He did stick up for her when Sindri was being an arrogant jerk.

"For now," Yalon continued, "I want you to warm up. Do a couple of laps, then we'll walk to the pond for a quick drink."

So they did. Lily had much less trouble running the two laps around the meadow. It had seemed to take forever, the first time she had to run around the large grassy space, but now she at least didn't get passed up by Kai or Ella. Riolu kept an even pace with her. Patch finished first easily. She and Riolu were only a short distance behind everyone else when they finished, out of breath and sweaty. It was still morning, but the heat from the sun was starting to make itself known.

When they got to the pond, Jet's group was laughing and having a good time. They were all swimming or wading in the water, having water fights and dunking wars. When Jet saw Yalon approaching, he quickly straightened up and cleared his throat.

"Now, class, we will continue our lung workouts. As a water Pokemon, holding your breath will come naturally, but since you all are still normal type Pokemon then – Oh, hey Yalon! Didn't see you there."

"Hello, Jet. Nice to see you working so hard with your group," he replied with a smirk, sarcasm very clear in his voice.

"Yes, well, you know me. All work, no play. These guys have it rough, let me tell you," Jet joked. The seven cubs that he was 'teaching' laughed with him.

Soon the youngsters lost interest in the adult's conversation and continued on with their water games. Kai jumped in and joined them. Ella dared to go check her reflection, but was 'accidentally' pushed into the water by another Eevee. With Riolu for company, Patch stayed far away from the water, not wanting to cause an accident and hurt anyone with his electricity. Lily was planted next to Yalon, feeling more comfortable talking with the slightly older Pokemon rather than trying not to drown.

"So what brings you to these parts? Don't you train over by the meadow normally?" Jet asked after he was sure most of the cubs had stopped listening.

Yalon nodded. "Yes, but we came to take a little break after our warm up. Are you ready for this evening's event?"

"Of course! It's about time we do some real training."

"Real training?" Lily scoffed, jumping into the conversation. "What have we been doing this whole time then? What's going on tonight?"

Jet looked at Yalon for a moment, then said, "Tonight we learn to fight the way you will when you're traveling, Lily. With all the Pokemon you'll have with you, it's unlikely that you'll have to fight anyone to begin with, but just in case...We're teaching everyone the basics of teamwork. You humans have your double battles. I've seen it happen, trainers each using two Pokemon in a battle. Well we may be doing doubles, triples, or whole teams in the future, if there's ever an attack. And for the rest of the cubs, it's still valuable information to know in case the pack itself is ever in danger. We must cover each other."

"Yeah I suppose you're right," Lily commented. Yalon and Jet continued talking about tactics to use tonight, how many would form a team, and other matters of business. Eventually though, Yalon had to round up his few students and take them back to the meadow. There, he taught them some basics of how to behave in a battle. He taught them a few dodging techniques, along with a few random facts like how to keep their claws sharp and their teeth clean and healthy. He showed them how to stay quiet, in case it was ever needed that they would have to hide or lead a surprise attack. Lily supposed he was doing all of this to both prepare them for tonight's battles and to conserve their energy. She really didn't mind though. The battles were starting to help, yes, but were also exhausting.

Soon, though, Yalon seemed to have run out of things to show and teach them. He dismissed them, just in time for lunch, and told them to take it easy and maybe even take a nap. Because of the heat, Yalon told them to meet at the meadow close to sunset, that way it would be cooler out. Ella and Kai both went their respective ways, probably to see their families. Lily watched them go, wondering what her mother and grandfather were doing right now. How long had it been? Over a week? She had almost lost count of how many days she had been in this body. Did her brother, Lucas, know that she was missing? He had been on his journey when she disappeared. All they would have as a lead would be a shattered machine in her grandfather's lab and her brother's Eevee, who they couldn't really question and expect answers from considering he was a Pokemon.

She sat underneath the large tree, still lost in her thoughts. There was a nice cool breeze blowing. It ruffled her fur, and made the grass and leaves of the tree sway gently. Riolu and Patch were chasing each other around a little ways off. Lily yawned, and finally drifted off to sleep.

…...

"Lily, get up."

Lily rolled over, groaning at the annoyance. She was having such a nice dream...

"Come on, Lily. I'm serious. Wake up."

She ignored the voice. She couldn't, however, ignore the ice cold water that was splashed over her face by none other than Jet. She sputtered and choked, trying to get the offending liquid out of her airway.

"I warned you," he laughed heartily. She glared at him once she could breath properly.

"What do you want? I was trying to sleep, in case you couldn't tell."

"I wanted to know if you were interested in going for a swim. We have enough time before the competition begins."

Lily shrugged. "I guess so, but I'm really not a fan of swimming. And I was already at the pond twice today, and just now got soaked again."

"No, silly," he corrected. "Not the pond. The lake! Remember? Down the tunnels, with the waterfall?"

"Oh! Yeah sure! That would be awesome. It's so beautiful down there," she remembered. She looked towards the setting sun. "Are you sure we have time, though?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jet said, jogging off in the direction she assumed led to the caves. "Just a quick swim, I promise. It's so much deeper down there. I'm tired of this little dinky pond every day, and with all the training I've been doing, I've hardly had time to go for a real swim."

They quickly made their way down the tunnels, Lily still amazed that anyone could find their way around in the dark halls. They made it down in no time at all, though, and were soon looking at the gorgeous lake and the rumbling, yet peaceful waterfall. The water was the bluest blue Lily had ever seen, and it was even more amazing than she remembered. There seemed to be something missing, though.

"Where is everyone?" Jet asked, answering Lily's thoughts. Last time they were here, tons of water Pokemon had been in the lake. Right now there were none. "Maybe they all went up to watch the event," the Vaporeon answered himself.

"Probably. It's getting dark out already. I don't think we have time for even a quick jump in the water."

Jet frowned, but nodded. "Yeah. I guess you're right. Well, come on, kid. The sun isn't slowing down any, and we're probably going to be late now. Sorry about that." Lily shrugged, not really minding. Yalon would wait for them. The two started to walk back towards the cave entrance when Jet stopped, causing Lily to smack her nose into his tail.

"What's the hold up?" she asked, rubbing her nose with a paw.

"Shh..."

His eyes were wide, ears erect, just listening and waiting. He was looking off towards the woods.

"Jet?" Lily whispered after a few seconds of silence, beginning to worry. She walked in front of him, trying to see whatever he was looking at.

Then the wind blew towards them. Jet's ears were suddenly flat against his head, his teeth bared. He let out a low growl, looking towards the trees. Lily's heart beat soared as she backed underneath him, standing between his front legs.

"Jet..." Lily whimpered, trying again to find out what was wrong. But as soon as his name left her mouth, she smelled it. She wasn't sure what it was, but it smelled rotten and wild. Her fear was soon answered as a Pokemon stepped out from the brush where both she and Jet were staring.

Lily had seen plenty of Mightyena in her days. Her brother even had one on his main team for a while. But when she met her brother's Mightyena, she herself had weighed one hundred and thirty pounds, was quite a few feet taller, and had her brother standing next to her. Now, however, she was _maybe_ a foot tall, at no more than thirteen pounds, and had one single Vaporeon standing next to her. Not to mention the wolf Pokemon in front of her looked a lot bigger than her brother's Pokemon ever did, and she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with her new body.

The Pokemon in question smiled a wicked, cruel smile, looking straight at her with its blood red eyes. Lily's breathing halted. She was frozen, lost in the wolf's stare. Instincts told to to run, to flee, but her legs wouldn't listen to her brain.

Before she knew what was happening, Jet had grabbed her roughly by the scruffy white fluff of her neck, and they were in the lake. She heard snarling before Jet dove under the water. Lily didn't even have time for a breathe, but it hardly mattered with how fast the Vaporeon crossed the vast lake. She felt the water pressure from the falls push them down slightly before she was heaved onto the dirt. Jet crawled onto the slippery ground next to her, picked her up again, and darted through the caves faster than she thought possible. Still not soon enough, they emerged into the dim light of evening, Jet still not stopping his frantic pace. He ran them towards the large crowd, consisting of most members of the pack, all gathered at the meadow, then shoved and jumped over his fellow pack members until he found who he was looking for. Only then did he let go of Lily, who fell to the ground in a wet heap, shaking from either the cold or fear, she quite wasn't sure which one.

Akila spoke first, Lily just noticing her standing there. "Jet, what on earth-"

"Keir," he gasped, out of breath. "By the waterfall. Ran here with Lily."

There were gasps from every direction. Yalon, who was right beside his mate, growled loudly. He started yelling out directions, but Lily was in too much shock to hear him. She only watched as Roan and Sindri appeared around the two leaders, and Riolu appeared at her own side. He was saying something as well, but Lily was in a daze. The crowd quickly broke up, a group of mothers and children going towards the far side of the enclosed cliff. Another group of what Lily assumed to be the guardians of the pack ran towards the entrance of the tunnels, the few Umbreon the pack consisted of leading them. Several Pokemon flanked Akila, including Yalon, who was still barking out orders. Lily noticed Jet had all but collapsed next to her. Patch was at her side as well, now.

"Sindri, Roan, help them make their way to where the mothers and cubs are. Jet, too. He's done enough for now." Jet made as if to argue, but was still panting too hard to form a coherent sentence. Roan walked next to him, leading him to what Lily assumed was a safe zone or a guarded area for a select few to hide in. Someone picked Lily up and followed the others. She could hear Riolu and Patch following closely. They arrived at a large burrow, hidden well by shrubbery and large boulders.

"What's going on?" she weakly asked no one in particular, unable to stand the confusion much longer. She knew they had arrived at their destination when she could see dozens and dozens of worried faces, belonging to children and mothers alike. Lily was once again roughly dropped to the ground. She turned and looked into the face of Sindri, who surprisingly looked too distracted to bother sneering at her. The Jolteon's bright yellow fur was spiked up high, and a look of fear and anxiousness was planted on his face.

"Sindri, what's going on?" she finally spoke up. He looked around gravely before answering.

"We're under attack."

…...

**So this chapter was fun to write. It had my heart pounding, as if I felt what my characters were felling. Pretty awesome. Hope you enjoyed it as much. And Happy Valentines Day!**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu

Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon

Nurul – Sneasel  
Oran – Houndoom  
Keir – Mightyena


	14. Earth Invasion

**Chapter Fourteen: Earth Invasion**

"I'm going out there," Jet finally said. He had been pacing back and forth across the entrance of the little hideaway since Roan and Sindri had ran off to help fight.

"You can't," Riolu interjected. "The others said that they needed you here to guard us, in case anyone found their way back here."

Jet finally heaved a sigh and sat down. "You're right," he said. "I just can't stand not knowing what's going on out there." Lily felt the same way. Even though her fur was dry again, she was still chilled to the bone by the monstrous look from the Mightyena down by the lake. He reeked of death, and she could somehow just sense that there wasn't a speck of good left in his soul. Maybe that was a sixth sense from being a Pokemon or something.

"I'll go," Lily stated, standing up quickly before she changed her mind.

"You aren't going anywhere, kiddo," Jet said, also standing up.

"We all want to know what's going on. I'm not tough, but I'm small enough to stay hidden. I can do this."

"Lily, no. I can't let you-"

Lily had already darted around the Vaporeon, though, and was running out the entrance of their hideout. "I'll be back soon!" she called out, not turning around to see if her friends were chasing her.

…...

"You best not make me regret saying this," the wolf Pokemon started, "but good work, Nurul. I actually did not expect you to pull through on your mission."

"Thank you, sir..."

Nurul did not feel proud of her deeds, though. She had betrayed the only Pokemon that had ever considered her to be a friend. She was still to this very moment betraying Riolu and Patch, though there was nothing she could do to stop it. It was either her life or supplying Keir with the information he needed. She was presently leading most of the pack up the dark tunnels, although they could all see perfectly fine, being dark Pokemon themselves. She had made sure to memorize the path the first time she was shown, as to not disappoint Keir...although she was now only disappointing herself.

"Sir?" she dared to speak without being spoken to. Keir only raised a furry eyebrow at her. "Might I make a request?"

Keir barked out a laugh. "Go ahead and humor me."

"The Riolu and Pachirisu," she said, not beating around the bush. "Seeing as they are not a part of the pack we are attacking, might they go unharmed?"

Keir only laughed louder. "Please do not tell me you feel for these two pathetic creatures, Nurul," he said, grinning wickedly.

"No, sir," she lied. "It's just that they are part of the reason I got this far. Surely it would only be fair to let them go free, since they sort of helped us out."

"Fair? Was it fair when my ancestor's home was taken over by that worthless pack? You are a dark creature. I suggest you start acting like it," he growled. "We do not play by rules. They will die with the rest of the pack." Nurul said nothing in response, accepting her defeat.

"You know, since you seem so concerned about their fate," Keir continued, "You can be the one to battle them. Surely you can handle two little weaklings."

"Sir-"

"You will do it," Keir growled, snapping at the smaller Pokemon. "Or I will kill them while you watch, then finish off you." Nurul hesitated, but finally responded with a quiet 'yes sir,' and continued leading the path up the dark tunnels, once again feeling nothing but guilt.

…...

Lily panted for her breathe as she finally found a decently sheltered bush to momentarily hide in. Her stomach rumbled a little as she saw the berries surrounding her, and she quickly bit into one of them, the sweetness wetting her palate and giving her a tiny burst of energy. Time to move again.

Looking around, she saw that she was near the center of the meadow, where just hours ago, she was training with Yalon. No one was around the tree currently. If she hurried, she could probably make it there without being seen. She quickly sprinted the distance, diving under a root once she arrived.

"Where is everyone?" she wondered aloud to herself. Then without warning, a horrible howl pierced the the night air, chilling her bones once again.

All at one the sky lit up.

Over at the entrance to the little paradise, the sky was filled with flames and sparks. Growls and cries of pain echoed over to her hiding spot. She was just close enough to make out shapes of those fighting when the sky would light up from the attacks. The dark enemies seemed to keep piling in. How many of them were there? She wanted to run back to the others. To tell Jet to come and help. But she was frozen, watching the far off battle in horror. How could Pokemon fight like this? This was nothing like her world, where there were referees and trainers and rules to abide by. This was just primal fighting. It was wild, and nothing was meant to be held back. This was a battle of survival, she realized.

Seemingly all of the sudden, the battle moved her way. She ducked farther back under the root she was hiding in as a Flareon and a Poochyena tumbled past her, barking and snapping at each other. Another set of paws ran past, and a misguided flame nearly scorched Lily's fur. She needed to move. After quickly poking her head up and assessing her surroundings, she decided it seemed clear enough for the moment. Crawling out of her hiding spot, she prepared herself to run back to the shelter of Jet's supervision.

"Hey runt! Where do you think you're going?" Lily turned, hoping to Arceus that it was Sindri using his favorite nickname for her, but knew from the voice that it wasn't. It was a Houndoom, unknowingly using one of her nicknames. The devil dog stood several feet above her, its sharp, curled horns even higher than that. It was grinning widely at its find, its tail even wagging in some kind of sick enjoyment.

"Well?" it demanded. "Meowth got your tongue, or what? Answer me!" it shouted, a small flame bursting out towards Lily at that last demand. She rolled to the side, avoiding it by chance.

"I don't want to fight you," Lily said, her voice quivering with fear. Standing up was even a challenge, with her legs shaking the way they were. This dog didn't hold nearly as much fear in her as the Mightyena did from before, but she knew this thing could make dinner out of her faster than she could even think about making an escape plan.

"Well that's just too darn bad then, you little filth." And with that, the thing charged her, running in for a headbutt. Lily gasped as she turned tail and ran from its gigantic horns. Her speed was surprisingly enough to stay ahead of it, but running wouldn't work forever. She dove behind the massive tree as the creature shot forth a flame, wrinkling her nose as she smelt her singed tail fur. Well that was just great.

"Got you now!" she heard. She had taken too long of a pause. The Houndoom bounded around the tree and swatted her with its paw, its claws raking across her side. Lily yelped as she landed on that same side. The fire dog slowly walked up to its prey, grinning wildly, flames forming behind its sharp teeth.

"Stay away from her!"

Lily and the Houndoom both turned, surprised. Before either of them could make a move, a small blur of white and blue raced into the Houndoom's side and pummeled it over, sparks consuming them both.

"Patch?" Lily asked. "And Riolu!" she said, her tail unconsciously wagging as her best friend helped her get to her feet again.

"Are you okay?" Riolu asked, looking her over.

"Just some scratches," she replied. "I'm fine now. Looks like Patch has this one under control," she said, looking over to where a paralyzed Houndoom sat growling, unable to get back to his feet. Patch ran over to the two.

"He's down for now but that won't keep him for long. My shocks aren't powerful enough to do much more. We need to get out of here, fast." They hadn't made it very far before another Pokemon stopped them.

"What do you three think you are doing?" growled a familiar voice. They all turned, expecting the worse.

"Yalon!" Lily shouted, running up to her teacher. "Thank goodness its you!"

"You scared us!" Patch added in. Yalon mustered a small smile at their relief, but then put on his serious face again. He looked at the group of three, disappointment clear on his face, but most clear was worry and concern. "You three shouldn't be out here. You'll get yourselves killed."

"We just wanted to help," Lily defended, but she knew he was right. She had almost died within five minutes of being out here. Yalon started to reply, but was stopped as a dark ball of energy slammed into him from the side. He was thrown over the three younger Pokemon and rolled across the ground. He quickly pushed himself to his feet, grimacing from the pain.

"Well, well, well," said a dark voice. Lily's chills came back once again. "What do we have here?"

"Back off, Keir," Yalon growled, appearing in front of them in a blur. "Your fight is with me. Let them be."

Keir smiled down at Lily, Riolu, and Patch. "I just want to play a little game with the kids, Yalon. Is that so bad?" Yalon growled, crouching down to defend them. The fur on his back rose in defence as well.

"Have it your way then," the wolf sighed. "Nurul, take the three. Yalon is mine." With that, the Mightyena pounced onto the much smaller Umbreon, and they rolled away into battle. Where Keir was standing moments before was none other than Nurul.

"Nurul!" Riolu and Patch shouted together, running up to their friend. The Sneasel growled deeply and slashed out at them. They weren't close enough to get hit, but stumbled over from surprise onto their tails.

"Get up and fight," she growled, walking slowly towards her two former friends. While Patch and Riolu simply sat there confused, Lily saw what was going on. She jumped in front of her friends, blocking off Nuruls access to them.

"Stay away, traitor," Lily growled back. Nurul's face twisted in rage before she pounced at Lily.

"I'm not a traitor!" Lily quickly ducked under the dark type. Nurul landed on her feet and twisted around to face Lily. "Are you going to run or stand and fight me, you coward?"

"You're the coward," Lily growled back at her. She ran forward before Nurul could realize what was going on and smashed her skull into the Sneasel's stomach. Nurul doubled over in pain, but quickly recovered. The dark Pokemon pounced on the Eevee now that she was within distance, pinning her to the ground.

"Why are you doing this?" Lily demanded, trying to stall.

"You think I want to do this?" Nurul retorted. Lily took the time to kick up with her back feet, throwing Nurul over her head. Nurul rolled to her feet again, but Lily was also on her feet by this time. Lily watched as Nurul's paws came together and a dark glowing orb started to appear. She realized too late that it was a shadow ball. The orb smashed into her, blowing her back several yards. She yelped in pain as she landed on the ground.

"Let's just finish this, shall we?" Nurul said as she walked over to her opponent, her claws out and ready. What she wasn't expecting was a punch in the face. She fell over, her weakness to the fighting type having overtook her. Nurul turned to see her attacker. "Riolu?"

Riolu had a hurt look planted on his face. "Get lost, Nurul."

"Riolu, I-"

"Just leave!" he growled. "I thought you were my friend."

Nurul's heart sank. "I am your friend. Please just listen. Keir is making me do this. If I don't, he'll kill us both. I have to-"

"You have to hurt us to save your cowardly self?" Lily interrupted, still struggling to rise to her feet. "That's not friendship."

Nurul looked torn, now. "What do I do then? What else can I do?" she asked desperately. "I feel like I'm trapped."

Lily smiled sadly at her. "You stick with us. We are your friends. Those filthy mutts are always going to use you and put you down, Nurul. Trust us." Nurul slowly lowered her fighting stance and walked over to Lily. Lily braced herself for a blow as Nurul reached out a paw. Realization struck as she finally accepted the appendage. Nurul pulled her to her back paws and hugged Lily tightly. Lily winced from the pain the action caused, but wrapped her front paws around the now weeping Sneasel to return the hug.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "Please forgive me. I know I hurt your trust," she said, pulling away to glance at the other two friends as well, "but I'll prove to you that I can be trusted. Just give me a chance." Lily smiled as Riolu and Patch both ran up to join the hug.

"Well isn't that just touching," interrupted a sinister voice. The four friends separated and turned to face Keir, the Mightyena in operation of the attack. "And I actually thought you could pull off such a pathetic request, Nurul."

"Yalon?" Lily shouted, not seeing him anywhere.

"Oh don't worry about him, missy. He's out cold, and I'll take care of him later, so my entire pack can see." The great wolf took a leaping pounce at the smaller Pokemon. "I would worry about yourselves for right now," he laughed.

"Leave them alone, Keir," Nurul defended, stepping in front of the others. "It's me you want anyways."

"Oh not just you, dearest," Keir replied. "That little Eevee has to go as well. And you do remember our deal, don't you? What would happen if you didn't follow through with your task? Just sit back and enjoy the show," he said, just before he swatted Nurul away and attacked Lily, Patch, and Riolu.

Patch, the quickest of the three, thought quickly and jumped onto the top of the wolf's head, releasing the most powerful shock he could muster. Keir growled in slight pain, but made quick work of shaking the Pachirisu off. Patch skidded against the ground violently before feinting.

Lily took the moment of distraction to charge the wolf, but he turned to face her in mid-charge. Instead of the tackle she was going to use, she quickly rolled under the dark Pokemon to avoid his teeth snapping at her. She ended up behind him, and not stopping to think, bit his long furry tail as hard as she could. She figured her teeth must be a lot sharper now, because he sure howled painfully loud.

"Come here you little rat," he snarled turning around quickly. Lily, however, still had a good grip on his tail. If her life had not been at stake, she probably would have laughed at the sight of a Mightyena spinning around wildly, trying to catch its own tail. Lily was eventually shaken off, though. Keir didn't waste the opportunity and quickly jumped onto Lily's much smaller body, scratching over and over at her back. Her fur protected her slightly, but some of the cuts felt deep, and she whimpered in pain.

Before the foe could do too much more damage, Riolu literally knocked him from his feet with a kick to the his ribs. This only seemed to tick the Mightyena off even more than he was already.

"Your type advantage won't help you here, you little pest," Keir growled, running back to attack Riolu. Riolu jumped over the wolf at the last moment, coming down to body slam into his back. Keir snarled and quickly turned, snapping at the offender. His attack was successful as he grabbed Riolu's back leg and shook his head around like a dog with a rag doll. He finally flung Riolu far away. The tired creature didn't have the strength to get up. Lily watched it all happen in horror. She was still down, curled into a ball in some desperate attempt to not be noticed. Keir approached her slowly.

"Do you know why I'm attacking your kind, you little flea bag?" he asked, circling her body. "It's because you have something that I want. I've heard some interesting rumors about you in particular. That you aren't like the others here. That makes no difference to me. The thing is, out here in the wild, when you want something, you fight for it. You battle for your life." Lily said nothing, but was shaking from her fear. The dark Pokemon's breath smelled rotten, and his voice was dark and merciless.

"Your kind are pathetic, thinking that Pokemon are all good natured and fun for entertainment," he snarled. "Tell me, human, are you having fun yet?" Lily didn't get the chance to answer. Before Keir could say anything else, Nurul was back on her feet and using her long claws to slash at the Mightyena's flank. Keir quickly turned and slashed right back with his own claws, knocking her away for a moment. Nurul got right back into the fight.

Lily took the chance to get back to her tired paws. She was exhausted physically and emotionally from this battle. How did other Pokemon do this every single day? It was miserable and terrifying. By the time she had managed to stand up, Nurul was out of the battle again. Keir once again approached Lily menacingly. He stopped several feet from her, and Lily could see the shadow ball energizing into an orb of darkness.

She was too weak to even try to avoid the attack as it raced towards her. Finally skidding to a stop after being blown back by the powerful energy, she struggled to stay conscious. Everything was beginning to get hazy. She could roughly make out Keir form approaching her, ready to finish the fight.

A sudden bright light and a crackling noise filled the air, and if Lily's body wasn't as weak as it was, she could probably have felt her fur stand on end.

Then everything faded to black.

…...

**So let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, I had a life. Before college, before getting really sick, and before my boyfriend moved five hours away for college, where I was happy and had time to write this story. Then it all changed. I got writer's block, and you waited a long time for this chapter. The end.**

**Terribly sorry, but I gotta put real life first occasionally. I would like to give special thanks to JusttxJaycie, Kurstin, and 8TailFox for reminding me that this story was in fact still here, and you all were in fact still waiting. So I have returned. I do indeed hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did, though. The battle scenes were fun to write. (:**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch - Pachirisu  
Nurul – Sneasel  
Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon

Oran – Houndoom  
Keir – Mightyena


	15. Say Goodbye

**Chapter Fifteen: Say Goodbye  
**

"I'm terribly sorry again, Professor. I'm sure something will turn up," said a familiar face on the computer screen.

"Thank you, Professor Oak. I appreciate it," Rowan said half-heartedly, before closing the chat window. He sighed, running his hands through his seemingly more gray hair. How could this have happened? His poor grandchild, all alone. He knew she was capable of fending for herself, despite her mother's protests of her being a weak little girl all alone in the wilderness. She wasn't alone at all. Riolu had went with her too, only encouraging Rowan that she had left on her own free will. But why? Maybe she was rebelling? Her mother never would allow her to start her own Pokemon journey like the average kid her age. Maybe she saw the chance and took it?

Rowan turned as he heard a sharp knock on the door.

"Grandpa?" said a voice. "You in here?"

Rowan stood up in a hurry, opening his office door to envelop his grandchild in a hug. Unfortunately it was not Lily, but his only other grandchild, Lily's brother Lucas. Lucas returned his grandfather's hug, needing it quite badly. The twenty-one year old ran his hand through his hair, closing his emerald eyes. He was a mess, not knowing where his little sister was, and not knowing what to do about it.

"Has there been any kind of news yet?" he asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer. His grandfather shook his head sadly, sitting back down at his desk. No news was not good news. Lucas couldn't help but feel guilty for having stayed away for such a long time. He hadn't seen his family in months. Lily had written him about her first Pokemon and had wanted him to come see it weeks ago. He had been busy with the challenge of attaining yet another gym badge at the time though, and had written a hasty, inconsiderate letter back saying he would come soon. He wished he had come to see her now.

"Do you think she's ran off to be a trainer?" Lucas asked again, having no verbal response from his grandpa yet.

"No," replied the old man. "Lily wouldn't have left all the Pokemon here alone under any circumstance, or destroyed my machine for that matter. I just don't see that it's likely." Rowan pulled out a stack of papers. Lucas had to hold back tears as he saw a picture of Lily on it, with a description of her and when she was discovered that she was missing. Without exchanging many words, Lucas took a good portion of the papers and walked out of the room. He felt like hanging them up was assuming there was no hope, but knew it would be for the best to get the word out. The police had already been notified, but finding others who could help wouldn't hurt the search for her any.

He walked outside and glared at the sky, the sun shining brightly, mocking his loss. Pulling out a Pokeball, he knew it would be a long day of flying to the nearby towns to hang up the missing child ads and see if anyone had heard anything about his baby sister.

…...

Lily groaned as her side started throbbing. She had rolled over, making the hardened scabs on her back and side crack open a little. Refusing to open her eyes, she curled back up and adjusted until she was comfortable again, hoping the sore spots would heal quickly. She couldn't help in taking a moment to think about how last night had been the worst and most frightening night she had ever experienced.

Sitting up with a start, she realized she had no idea what had happened last night. She held back more moans and groans with the quick wake up call, and looked around her. She was back in what had become 'her' cave. Confused, she stood up with wobbly legs, intent on figuring out what was happening. Looking outside, she could see that it was either dawn or dusk. The sky was dimly lit. It wasn't a huge concern, however, because she was instead gazing around the meadow and holding back what little food was in her stomach. The field stunk of last night's enemies and blood. Thank goodness there were no bodies or she might have vomited. It appeared that the evil pack was gone though.

"Lily!" she heard several voices shout all at once. Turning, she smiled at the sight before her. Five Pokemon were joyously running towards her, smiles on their faces as well. Riolu led the little group, closely followed by Nurul, Patch, and Kai. Even more surprising was Ella, somewhat apart from the rest of the group, and obviously feeling a little awkward. Lily wondered why she was coming to check on her, but dismissed it for more important things. They all approached her, Riolu with a gentle hug. Lily wasted no time in her questioning.

"What happened last night? Did I pass out?" The group exchanged looks. Riolu spoke up first.

"You did. We all did. Supposedly Sindri saved us all from that Mighyena, Yalon included." Lily looked incredulously at her closest friend like he had sprouted another head. There was no way Sindri saved them. If he did, it must have been for the good of the pack, not for her and her friends in particular.

"That makes sense," she added after a pause. "I remember a big flash. It was probably one of his electric attacks." That meant Sindri probably took care of them after he defeated the Mightyena. She wondered if she should go thank him, but decided to find Jet first. He would know how best to handle this kind of situation. "Did everything work out for the group after I left, Kai and Ella?"

"Sure," Ella said, rather dully. "We just sat around and waited for hours while you were out running around and seeing all the action. I just hope you know you're here because you got lucky, not because you have any kind of talent or-" Kai not so gently kicked her back leg with his own, making her stumble and stop talking long enough to send a glare his way.

"Why are you even here, Ella? You obviously have a problem with me," Lily accused, a bit rashly. "Are you really that concerned or do you actually have something to say?"

Ella stuck her nose in the air and said, "Yes, I do as a matter of fact. Akila wants to see you when you're well enough to come to her cave. Only you, that is." She hesitated for a moment, and looked at Lily's still painful wounds from the fight, taking on a strange expression. "And I heard what you did for Yalon and some of the others. As much as I really don't like outsiders...just...thanks for sticking up for our home, I guess." She awkwardly paused for a second, probably wishing she hadn't said anything.

Lily opened her mouth to speak, but Ella hastily cut her off. "Don't you dare think this means I like you or anything now though," she added with a playful smirk before trotting away, leaving Lily to wonder whether she had just received a threat or made a new friend.

…...

Meanwhile, Akila sat nestled away in the back of her own cave, curled up in the darkest corner that existed in the large, natural opening. They had won the fight, but she did not feel the slightest bit happy. In fact, the entire ordeal scared her quite a bit. As soon as the battle had begun, she was tucked away and hidden with the mother's and the young, both as a final protector and to keep her safe from harm's way for as long as possible. She knew that's how it had to be, as her stunning psychic powers were useless against such enemies, but it made her feel weak and insignificant as a leader.

The pack leader's long ears perked up as quiet footsteps echoed across the walls. Yalon approached her and nuzzled his damp nose into the soft fur on her neck, trying to comfort her. He could feel that she was upset, but his affections did little to help. She had almost lost Yalon, the only thing that kept her going at times, her closest friend and main support system.

This was the last straw. Akila couldn't stand to think of not having him by her side after the mess from the previous night. She couldn't let him go with the young human on the upcoming trip to Eterna Forest. Lily needed their help as quickly as possible, but her obligations were first and foremost to the pack, her one and only family. They needed her, and she needed her mate.

"You can't go," she stated simply. Yalon looked up as if to argue, but she didn't give him the chance. "I need you," she pleaded, tears in her eyes. Yalon sighed and rested his head on his paws. His rings were dimly lighting the cave as he pondered on what to do. They stayed like that until another set of footsteps, more clumsy and unique to be anyone but Lily, stopped outside the cave. They stood together and met her, knowing that time was of the essence.

"Lily, there's been a change of plans," Yalon said, deciding to jump right into the conversation. "You will leave immediately with the group I've chosen for you. This attack has made it obvious that things may be changing in our part of the world, and our opposing pack is striking out due to their bitterness and refusal to accept themselves and the past." He paused, as if taking just a few moments to decide his next words. "You should leave first thing, as soon as I can gather your traveling group. It will be safer. If there is another attack, the enemy will have to take the time to reform, while we've left them scattered and scared, and without a leader."

Lily shook her head in disbelief. "No," she stated simply. "No, I won't leave you. If there's another attack you'll need all the help you can get!"

"A human has no place in the business of nature," Akila said softly. Lily felt her heart sink as the hurtful words set in. Had the days she spent here truly been that insignificant that they wanted her out of here immediately? Akila must have sensed her betrayed feelings. "Lily, please understand that this is what is best for you. We don't want you to leave. You feel like part of our family already, but we all know that you have a family waiting for you somewhere else."

That much was true, and Lily nodded in her agreement. It was truly confusing and hard to consider things she would as a human, like her mother, brother, and grandfather waiting for her in Sandgem Town, all of them probably worried sick. She had lost count of exactly how many days she had been away. Or was it weeks? Hopefully this form wouldn't permanently change her line of thought.

"Meet us by the lake shortly, if you would. Say your farewells , clean your wounds, and eat something," Yalon said, dismissing her temporarily.

Lily drug herself back across the meadow, stopping to gather a small amount of berries, then plopping down next to the giant tree to watch the sun finish rising over the cliff side that was the horizon. She ate in silence, the oran berries once again working magic on her body. Her bruises already felt better, and her cuts had stopped throbbing quite so badly. She really didn't want to lick herself and feel even more degraded and animal-like, so she decided to wait until they were at the lake to wash them out and give her fur a good scrubbing, as it probably stank from the night's activities.

The next order of business would be the most painful, despite the fact that it had nothing to do with her injuries. She had to tell her new friends goodbye, most likely forever.

She lazily made her way back to her own little cave, where Riolu, Patch, Nurul, and Kai were waiting for her to return with news. "I'm leaving soon. Before noon today," she said after she had sat down with them.

"Why so soon? Who are you going with? We're still going, right?" Patch asked rather quickly, directing the last question at Riolu, not Lily.

"No way," Lily answered the last question. "None of you are going. You all need to stay here." She looked at Riolu sadly for a second or two. "Riolu, I want you to stay here too. I'll come back for you after this mess is done."

"I'm going, Lily. You're my best friend. My job is to protect you, and I haven't done a great job of it so far. I'm not letting you go without me," he replied sternly. Lily looked at him sadly, wondering if she should let him, or if she could even stop him. Finally she decided that he would probably do something reckless like chase after her alone anyway if she left him, and that maybe he would be safer with her. It would be nice to have his company for as long as possible, since she would soon not be able to have conversations with him like this.

"Let's go then."

After quick and sad goodbyes to Kai, who didn't understand where they were going in the first place, the other four walked to the lake where they were to meet their new traveling team, who would hopefully take her to Eterna Forest to meet the Leafeon pack. Dread filled Lily as she approached the lake, as none other than Sindri was standing there. She had hoped her next confrontation with the Jolteon would have been a long ways off, or not at all, but there he was.

The former seventeen year old wasn't too sure how to approach him. On one hand, he had supposedly just saved her life last night. On the other hand, he had threatened her and even went so far as to almost attack her on another occasion. Lily was saved the trouble of greeting him alone as Jet, Yalon, and Akila approached from the other direction. Jet smiled widely at the sight of his younger friend.

"I'm afraid this may be the last time we speak with you, little human," Yalon started affectionately. "At least we hope so, in a bitter-sweet manner." Lily nodded, feeling a little too anxious to trust her tongue. Yalon continued on despite the girl's nervousness. "Originally, Roan and I were to accompany you as well, but with recent events I have decided to send only Jet and Sindri. Roan was injured in the fight, and I have my obligations to the pack."

Lily stole a glance over to the Jolteon to see his reaction on this news, though he must have known beforehand since he had already been waiting. She assumed this meant his whole deal with battling each other was off. Her attention was drawn to her own group as Riolu spoke up.

"I'm going as well," he said with authority, a look of determination on his face.

Akila smiled at him proudly. "We wouldn't want it any other way."

"You're forgetting a valuable piece of information," Sindri cut in harshly, glaring at the group of smaller Pokemon. "Something needs to be done about the traitor in our midsts as well." Nurul glared right back, perhaps with even more disgust in her eyes than the Jolteon before her. Before Lily, Riolu, or Patch had a chance to argue in Nurul's defense, Akila cut in.

"I demand that you leave our home, Nurul. You cannot be trusted." Everyone sat quietly, wondering how the sweet, quiet Akila got so blunt and harsh with her judgement. "However," she continued with a small smile, "If you were to swear your life to protecting Lily on her journey, and return with our own two pack members with no trouble, you might find that you would be welcomed in with open arms."

Nurul quickly hid the surprised look that had come over her, and bowed her head respectfully. "I would be honored to assist Lily and Riolu on this journey, and will protect them with everything I have." Riolu couldn't help but grin widely, his sharp little teeth looking playfully happy with the news. Lily in turn smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Patch," Akila started again, looking at the small electric squirrel, "you may stay here in our home or return to yours in the forest, although it is in your best interest to stay here until you're fully healed. We appreciate your assistance beyond what words can describe." Patch smiled in appreciation, surprisingly not saying a word. Lily realized the little creature must be very nervous around all the predators standing around, even if they meant him no harm. She wondered if he liked living in the wild, or if perhaps he would want to join Riolu in living at the lab, once she herself returned to a human and went home of course. It was something she would have to discuss with Riolu first, she decided.

"I want to go with them," he said finally after mustering up the courage to speak. Yalon nodded, knowing it was Patch's choice in the end, though looked a bit worried for the Pachirisu due to his current condition. "You too will be welcomed back into our home, if you decide to return. Travel safe."

After a moment, Jet spoke up. "Well, it seems that we're done here. Shall we hit the road, now?"

"Yes, it's time," Yalon replied. He looked down at Lily with a smile. "You've shown me a new light, Lily. If humans were all as honest, kind, and determined as you've shown us you can be, then perhaps we wouldn't have to hide away deep in the forest. I believe I'm a bit more open to your kind after meeting you. So I thank you."

"Goodbye, Yalon," she said with a smile. "And Akila," she added, glancing at the beautiful Espeon. "I hope I can see both of you again someday." Riolu and Nurul in turn said their farewells, then the small group of six turned and walked into the cave leading to the outside world, Sindri silently leading the way.

Lily couldn't help but have a slight bounce in her step as they walked through the tunnels. As nervous as she was about the journey and the dangers that could be waiting for them out here in the wild, she knew she was surrounded by friends, and that soon she would be one step closer to returning home.

…...

**Yaaaay for me getting over 100th** **reviews! I don't deserve it, but I appreciate it anyway. Thank you all so much. I'm such a horrible person for leaving this alone for so long, but I got inspired again, so here's at least one more chapter. Trying to work on more paragraph structure. My old style was a lot choppier. Let me know any improvements or changes you would like to see. (: Will work on the next one tonight/this week. I also plan on leaving out characters that are not currently main characters from my list. I feel it is getting too long. If you disagree, and still find it helpful to have a guide, then please include that in a review or a personal message.**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Patch – Pachirisu  
Nurul – Sneasel  
Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Roan - Flareon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon – Umbreon  
Kai - Eevee  
Ella - Eevee


	16. Hero

**Chapter Sixteen: Hero**

"How far away is Eterna Forest?"

The group currently sat by the gorgeous lake and waterfall that served a double purpose of keeping their home's entrance hidden. The air was filled with cool mist from the falling water. The water was still sparkling and clear, smoothing out to gentle ripples by the shore they were sitting on. They had stopped so that Lily and Jet could take a quick swim, Lily to clean up and Jet for obvious reasons, and to get nice and hydrated before their journey. Lily remembered seeing the Mightyena across the lake for the first time just last night, and failed to suppress the chills from running down her spine.

Jet paddled closer to Riolu, who had asked the question. "Probably a couple days if we make a straight course. But that's not very likely." He dove back under the surface, disappearing in the water for a few moments as his species tended to do. Lily shoved her head under the water to look for him, but even with the ultra clear water, could not locate him.

"Why can't we just make a straight cut?" she asked after they had both resurfaced. Sindri laughed under his breathe, though Lily would have missed it if not for her sensitive new ears. Stepping out of the lake, she looked at him questioningly.

"Are you that dense?" the Jolteon asked. "We can't follow the same pathways that the humans use, and we can't just waltz through their towns – we'll all be in those cruel little devices they carry around before sundown if we attempt it." Lily ignored his rude, but true, reply and stopped to think for a moment. Which direction did she and Riolu go after leaving the lab? They had to have traveled on to route 202, as she knew route 201 and Verity Lake area very well, and this lake was not it. They must be some ways to the east of route 202, she finally decided.

"We need to go north then," Lily said, more to herself than to anyone. That meant traveling through Jubilife City and Floaroma Town. She wasn't too concerned about Floaroma Town, as it was a tiny little town, peaceful and quiet, with plenty of fields and trees around for cover. Jubilife was one of Sinnoh's largest cities though, with tons of trainers passing through at all times. Any trainer would jump at the chance to catch a wild Eevee, Vaporeon, or Jolteon. Sindri was right. The routes and Jubilife would have to be avoided, even if it put them behind a bit.

"You know where we are, then?" Jet asked with a surprised look.

"Kind of," she replied. "Mom and I go to Jubilife City once in a while to shop." Used to, she reminded herself bitterly. Before she was a foot tall and covered in fur.

"What is 'shop'?" The Vaporeon asked curiously, shaking like a wet dog after stepping out of the lake. Lily looked at him disbelievingly for a moment before coming to her senses and realizing she was surrounded by Pokemon that had rarely even seen a human, let alone had any way of knowing a human's vocabulary or subjects of interest.

"Erm...trading for goods, I suppose," she explained. Explaining the concept and value of money would be much more difficult than that of trading in general, so she stuck with the easy explanation. Looking around, the misfit human realized it was time to go. The group had gotten quiet, and the unspoken vote to leave was made as they all finally stood up and looked at the lake and surrounding forest. Their home. As the rest of the group started walking away, Lily stole one last glance at the falls and the sparkling lake, feeling just a little bit of sorrow. She was leaving behind everything she'd known thus far as an Eevee.

…...

The human sighed for what had to have been the tenth or eleventh time in the past half hour. Sindri shot a glare at the girl in warning, while Jet looked over with one eyebrow – if you could call it an eyebrow – raised.

The group of six had been walking all morning, sticking to a crude path in the woods that was obviously created and maintained by other Pokemon, probably Stantler or larger game animals. The sun was at high noon, and Lily was burning up, the fur on her body making her a lot toastier than usual. The previous shade from the trees was gone until the sun moved farther along in the sky, and the brush was too thick to travel in very quickly. They had given up comfort for faster travel.

An internal struggle was happening for the seventeen year old as she fought between giving into her new body and its needs, and her human mind and its wants. She was hot, and as she had previously found out, the fastest way for most four legged creatures to cool down was to pant. Lily had an insane desire to let her tongue hang out of her mouth, somehow internally knowing that it would make her feel better, but she just couldn't allow herself to do it, despite the fact that several of her friends around her were doing just that.

She knew that she was taking a risk at overheating because of her thick, insulated fur, but she kept hoping that they would come across some sort of water source soon. If not for the quick pace and said fur, she probably would have loved the feel of the sun on her back. As it was though, she was just hot and miserable.

Besides herself, Nurul also seemed to be having a hard time. She, being a dark type, was not exactly thrilled about walking around the woods in broad daylight. The Sneasel seemed to mostly keep to herself, occasionally talking to Riolu and Patch. Lily wondered where Nurul was from, and how old she was. She seemed so...distant. Lily had never met a Pokemon that was so antisocial, even back in her human life, though she supposed all the Pokemon at the lab were trainer raised, usually with love and care. And now that she thought about it, wild Sneasels were only found in dark caves, or in high altitude places with snow and ice. How did she come to live in the woods on route 202 anyways?

"Are we almost there?" whined Riolu, either ignoring or not noticing the previous looks that Lily had gotten for her own impatience. "My feet hurt."

"Me too," Patch added in. Jet gave a small smile in sympathy, then looked over at Sindri, the Jolteon already knowing what he was going to ask.

"It wouldn't hurt to take a little break," said the Vaporeon. "They're all quite younger than us, with smaller legs." Sindri took a condescending look around at the group, as if deciding if a break was really needed or not. His answer surprised Lily.

"Fine. I'm going to find water." Sindri replied shortly. He bound off the trail without waiting for a reply, jumping over logs and ducking under bushes. Patch and Riolu both plopped down to rest instantaneously, while Nurul ducked off the trail to sit in the shade. They were all relieved to simply sit down for just a moment.

Lily looked up at Jet, confused. "Why can't we just dig a little hole and fill it with your water?"

"Well for starters, Sindri didn't want to stick around here for longer than he had to," Jet laughed. "And just because I'm a water Pokemon doesn't mean I have an endless supply of water. I might get weak or dehydrated trying to give enough water to all of us in this heat." Lily nodded in understanding. That made sense. Jet needed to keep his water supply and strength for any unwanted surprises.

The growling of Lily's stomach interrupted her thoughts about water types. Time to find food. She glanced over at Riolu to see that he and Patch had fallen asleep rather quickly. "I'm going to look around a bit," she told Jet. "Will you stay here?" she asked, glancing again at their sleeping companions.

"Of course," he replied, laying down by the two smaller creatures and wrapping his thick tail protectively around them. "Bring back some food if you find any," he added.

"I'll go with you," Nurul said, getting to her feet, probably anxious to explore the new area and get out of the direct sunlight. The two made their way off the trail and into the brush, opposite of the way Sindri had gone. For a while, nothing was said. It was a comfortable silence, only broken by the occasion forest noise or snapping of the twigs and leaves they tread over. Lily looked around in wonder, feeling comfortable and at ease with the tall trees surrounding them. A powerful, fresh scent hit her as they walked past a few pine trees. Why had she never noticed how good nature smelled? Oh yeah. Human nose.

"What was it like?" Nurul asked out of the blue, as if reading her thoughts. "Being human, I mean."

Lily was taken aback at the question, unsure of what to say. What was being a human like? Big soft beds, warm showers, three hot meals a day, television and computers. She tried to think of things that wouldn't offend the Sneasel though. It's not like being a Pokemon was all that bad either, besides the life and death situations she had encountered so far. In fact, she enjoyed her heightened senses. She could see more clearly and farther away, hear the tiniest noise with her large ears, and scents were dozens of times more potent.

"Things are more...advanced, and complex," she finally said. "We invent things that help us live, making life less of a struggle. We still have fun and work hard though. We don't compete against each other for food or territory like out here in the wild. The only competitive aspect about human life, at least in my opinion, is Pokemon training. Life isn't a matter of survival, but of enjoyment."

"Enjoyment," Nurul scoffed. "I don't understand how you humans can enjoy capturing creatures against their will and forcing them to fight. There's nothing entertaining about that."

"It's not like that," Lily defended her species quickly. Not that she herself would even know since she wasn't even a trainer. Her brother though, he loved his Pokemon, and considered them to be friends and equals. "Pokemon aren't our slaves. Humans are suppose to treat their Pokemon with kindness and love, and help them grow stronger."

"And you think they all do?" Nurul continued, getting a bit accusatory. "I've seen trainers abuse their Pokemon, force them to fight, force them to evolve with those stones, even force them to breed. And then what, after the human decides his journey is over, or they find a stronger or more rare Pokemon? They get left in their Pokeballs to rot or abandoned. You think out of all the Pokemon that have been captured in the history of this world, that all of them wanted to be taken out of their homes, away from their family, and expected to fight against other Pokemon for a trophy that means nothing to us? No." The Sneasel slashed a branch off a tree after the last bit of her rant, and Lily finally saw what was going on. Nurul was much more knowledgeable than the other Pokemon with how humans worked, knowing words like Pokeball and trophy...how could a wild Pokemon know anything like that?

"Nurul," she started, after allowing a few moments for the dark type to calm down. "Have you been captured before?" Nurul snapped her eyes over to meet Lily's own eyes, holding the gaze for what felt like eternity. Finally, she slid down the tree she was leaning against and into a sitting position, her eyes shut tight. Lily cautiously made her way to the Sneasel, sitting down to lean up against her in a way she hoped would comfort the other creature.

"My owner," Nurul started, "He was great at first. We trained all the way through Johto. We won badges and even made it pretty far in the league. I was became good friends with him and his other Pokemon. At first I was a little sad to be captured, having to leave my own pack behind. But then I realized that my team, they were my new family, and we grew strong because of each other." She paused, preparing herself for the part of the story that hurt. "Then he started changing, once we got here, in Sinnoh. He started catching new Pokemon that he had never seen before, replacing us one by one. When he caught a Poochyena, of all things, it was my turn to go." She shook her head in a disgusted manner. Lily knew that Nurul must have been here on route 202 since that day, and that the Poochyena was likely from Keir's own pack. What a horrible thing to do.

"I'm sorry," Lily said after her story. "That you had to go through that. If it makes you feel better, I'm not even a trainer." Nurul looked over, and to Lily's surprise, had a small smile on her face.

"It's been about a year. Time to move on. He's not coming back, and there's no reason for me to put up with that pack of mutt's while I wait around. I'm free now, from him and from Keir." Lily nodded in agreement. She now felt naïve for thinking that all trainers were good. There were trainers out there who didn't deserve the opportunity they had been given, not to mention crime organizations that used Pokemon for evil, like Team Rocket or Team Plasma. She made a silent promise to become more involved in preventing such abuse once she was human again, and making sure Nurul found a good home. In fact, Riolu would be a lot happier if she 'adopted' Patch and Nurul once she became human again. Yet again, she was reminded to discuss these matters with Riolu himself later on. For now though, it was probably about time they get going.

"We should get back soon. Let's hurry and find some lunch," she said finally. Nurul agreed. They continued their trek through the woods, finally finding an apple tree. Nurul, having the ability to walk on two feet and have her hands free, grabbed as many as she could hold. Lily found a large leaf and carried three apples as well, using her teeth to carry the makeshift bag around. They quickly made their way back to the trail, where everyone was waiting for them.

"You found apples!" Patch exclaimed happily. He ran over and claimed one for himself, immediately chowing down. Riolu was right behind him. Everyone got their fill of the sweet fruit, making due with the lack of water, since Sindri had returned with no sign of water nearby. Lily felt refreshed enough though, and imagined the others were fine as well. They continued on the trail, everyone in a better mood. Lily kept her eyes peeled for signs of the actual route nearby, or even signs of Jubilife. They had decided to go around the city instead, but needed to find it first, so she knew they were on the right track at least. They had to be getting close.

The hours continued to pass with no sign of civilization. At least not human civilization. To Lily's enjoyment, they passed several Pokemon along the trail, mostly bug and plant types, with the occasional flying type. When a mother Breloom passed them on the trail, the seventeen year old couldn't help but smile as the five little Shroomish cutely followed behind her in a single file line. As time wore on, and the sun was finishing up its last few hours in the sky for the day, the signs were becoming clear that Jubilife City was fairly close.

The first and most obvious sign was surprisingly the aroma. The air slowly started losing the natural earthy smell, turning into something much more complex. The smell itself was hard to describe, as it wasn't so much a single scent, but a symphony of scents, some pleasant and some not so pleasant. It was the smell of a city. Lily could identify a few scents right away – gasoline, vehicles, smoke. As they closed in on the city, she smelled more, like food from the nearby restaurants and the sweet smell of pollen from the decorative flowers scattered throughout the town. The smells, sounds, and sights increased until they were staring at the city gates, right on the edge of the woods.

"What's the plan, then?" Nurul asked no one in particular. The six of them had taken to sitting just behind the tree line, watching Jubilife through the gates that surrounded the entire city. The gates were something Lily had forgotten. They stretched extremely far from east to west, the city being wider than it was length wise, forming somewhat of a rectangle. She wondered why the fencing was there to begin with. Maybe wild Pokemon had been a bother to the city in the past. Or maybe they just looked nice. She wasn't sure.

"It's a pretty far walk around these gates," Jet answered, "But we'll have to go around, or risk getting the attention of any trainers around. The sun is starting to set, so we should be fine starting whenever you guys are ready, right Sindri?"

"The sooner the better," was the Jolteon's reply as he stood up and started walking. The others stood up and followed, everyone making sure to stay close enough so that they could see past the gates and into the city, but still in the trees enough to not blow their cover in the case that someone look their way. Lily was surprised at how close the woods were to the gates, only a yard or two of clearance between the two.

The wind picked up, blowing a stray piece of paper towards the group. It smacked into Patch, who immediately freaked out from the sudden offender, being so high strung. Jet, Lily, and Riolu watched with amusement while Sindri and Nurul rolled their eyes at the Pachirisu's sad attempts to defeat a flier. He finally wrestled the paper off of his body with Riolu's help, pinning it down to the ground.

"Lily," Riolu said, his laughter stopping immediately. His eyes held an odd, worried expression, uncharacteristic for the little fighting type. He was intently staring at the paper on the ground.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, concerned. Everyone else was waiting to find out what the hold up was, too. Riolu simply pointed at the paper under Patch's feet. Lily walked closer, squinting her eyes to make out what was on the white sheet. She gasped as she realized what it was.

"That...that's me."

The group quickly gathered around, looking at the picture of Lily's human self. Lily recognized the picture instantly. It had been taken months ago, on her seventeenth birthday. Her grandpa and brother had been cropped out of the picture, she noticed, but in her arms was a small, oval object – Riolu's egg. At the top of the page, Lily recognized the word 'Missing' in bold red letters. She didn't bother reading the rest of the print, a sense of loss coming over her. She was missing. Her family was looking for her, and had probably been in Jubilife handing these fliers out.

Lily turned and looked over at Jubilife at the thought of her family being there recently, but was even more shocked at what she saw. Near the fence was a smallish pavilion area with a simple, circular fountain sitting in the center. Stone benches surrounded the fountain. Sitting on one of said benches was none other than her brother, Lucas, head resting in his hands, a pile of papers sitting next to him. Without a moment of hesitation or thought, Lily started sprinting towards him.

"Lucas!" she called out, right against the fence at this point. "Lucas, it's me!"

"What is she doing!" Sindri hissed. "She's going to get us all in trouble!"

"I'll get her," Riolu said before darting after her. Patch followed right behind him to help. They caught up with her at the fence, where she was already halfway squirming her way beneath it.

"Lily stop!" Patch cried, grabbing one of her hind legs and pulling. "You can't go in there!" Lily struggled to crawl forward, not caring about their protests. Lucas had of course noticed the commotion at this point. He looked up to see quite a sight – an Eevee stuck beneath the fence, with a Riolu and a Pachirisu attempting to get it unstuck. He couldn't help but smirk at the odd Pokemon, despite his own situation. He walked over to help the little fox out.

"Lily, please! We have to go!" Riolu begged. Lily continued to fight though, not listening.

"Hey there, little guy," Lucas said softly, trying to calm the creature. "You're quite a rare sight. Need some help?" He reached out with both hands, easily tugging Lily the rest of the way. She didn't fight as he held her in his arms. He looked for a collar or some sign of ownership. "You sure are calm for a wild Pokemon," he murmured. The trainer thought of his own Eevee, which reminded him again of his sister and the accident. He just had to find her soon. She was out there somewhere, he could just feel it.

"We have to do something," Jet growled under his breathe. He, Sindri, and Nurul watched helplessly from the tree line. There wasn't much any of them could do at this point. None of them could have fit under the fence, and even if they could, it would likely cost them their freedom. Lily had made a bad choice, and would have to get out of it herself if it turned dangerous. Patch and Riolu continued to stand by the fence, begging Lily to run back over to them.

"My sister likes Eevee quite a lot," Lucas told the creature in his arms, not really caring if it could understand or not.

"I am your sister!" she replied desperately, but in vain. Lucas could not understand her, that much was apparent. Her eyes teared up as she realized there was nothing she could do to comfort her brother or the rest of her family.

"In fact," Lucas continued, "She would love to have you once I find her. You would make a perfect gift, since you already seem to be comfortable with people." He smiled at the thought of presenting Lily with such a rare, beautiful creature. Maybe it would make up for all the times he couldn't be there for her as an older brother. With the thought of seeing her again, he made his decision to capture the Eevee. A quick reach into his pocket produced an empty Pokeball.

Lily's expression quickly turned to fear at the sight of the device. "Lucas, don't. What are you doing with that?" she asked him, knowing he couldn't understand her anyways. She couldn't be captured! There was no way she would ever get her life back if she did. Lucas would continue to look for his sister, and Lily herself would continue to wait for a day that would never come while stuck inside a Pokeball with no way to communicate with any of them. Lily started squirming in his arms, suddenly realizing that she should have listened.

"Shh, it's okay!" he told her. Bringing the Pokeball closer and closer. She fought him even more and finally broke free, falling to the ground in a hurry. Before she could get up again though, Lucas had already thrown the ball towards her. With a burst of red, the Pokeball opened up, sucking in the energy from the Pokemon it hit, binding it to the ball. With three shakes and a soft 'click' sound, the Pokemon was captured.

But it wasn't Lily.

Riolu's breathing had stopped as he watched the ball race towards Lily, sealing her fate – or so he thought. At the last minute, Patch had scurried under the fence, much easier than Lily had due to his smaller size, and dove in front of the Eevee.

"Patch!" Riolu called with teary eyes, but it was too late.

Lily herself had stared in horror as Patch was caught. Guilt immediately overwhelmed her, along with hurt for her brother unknowingly betraying her and her friends. That was suppose to be for her. She should be in that Pokeball, not the poor little Pachirisu she had come to know and care for. Her train of thought quickly changed into fear again as Lucas frowned and reached for another Pokeball. Lily stood up and and ran, forcing her way under the fence faster than she had thought possible, the metal likely bruising her back from the abuse. She and Riolu quickly ran back to the safety of the trees, hearts pounding and tears in their eyes.

Sindri immediately started yelling at her. "Are you stupid? What do you think you're doing, running out there like–"

"Just shut up, Sindri. I know what I did. I don't need you to tell me," Lily snapped back. She felt guilty enough without his help. Patch was gone. It was her fault, and her fault only. Looking over at Riolu, her guilt only intensified. Tears stained the fur on his face.

"Riolu, I...I'm so sorry," she whispered. He had been closer friends with Patch than any of them, if only just. "I'll get him back, I swear," she promised. Riolu looked at her, a doubtful expression on his face.

"How?" he asked.

"When I'm human again," she explained. "I'll make Lucas give him to me. Lucas is good to his Pokemon, Patch will be fine." Riolu nodded, wiping away his tears. He was hopeful again at the prospect of seeing Patch again. Nurul walked over to put one paw each of Lily and Patch's shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze.

"It will work out. Patch made his own choice. Just don't let his heroism go to waste," the Sneasel spoke wisely, giving Lily a meaningful glance.

"Let's go," Jet said finally. "I want to get away from this city quickly, before anything else happens."

Everyone agreed, and the group started walking away. Lily turned to take one last look at her brother, who was dejectedly gathering his things from the bench, probably upset about not having a gift for his sister now. Lily knew that the Pachirisu he had just captured would be the best thing he could possibly give her, once she returned home. She continued on, Riolu at her side, praying that the Pachirisu's sacrifice was not made in vain.

…...

**Woot! Chapter 16! ****So it's a couple days later than I planned, but still an update! And 8 reviews! I'm so happy. **

**In other news, I've spent my entire weekend editing EVERY LAST SENTENCE of One Wish thus far, correcting my horrible grammar/spelling/typing/plot mistakes, and even changing a little bit of the story here and there. In case you didn't notice in the reading, I have decided to up Lily's age to seventeen. I feel like she is a little mature for fifteen. It's not going to change the story any, so don't freak out. If you're an old reader, you don't have to reread anything if you don't want, it's nothing drastic. I'm just hoping to improve my earlier work, and get a few new readers.**

**Oh. I also changed all the previous chapter titles. They're all song titles from my all time favorite band, Skillet. Look them up if you're bored, and tell me what you think in your review. (:**

**Hoping to hear from you soon!**

**Eternal**

Characters

Lily  
Riolu  
Nurul – Sneasel  
Patch – Pachirisu  
Jet - Vaporeon  
Sindri - Jolteon  
Akila - Espeon  
Yalon - Umbreon 


End file.
